UK Art Fund Seeks £3.8M to Keep Barbara Hepworth Sculpture

A campaign backed by prominent artists such as Anish Kapoor, Veronica Ryan, Rachel Whiteread, Antony Gormley, and Jenny Eclair is underway to raise £3.8 million to keep Barbara Hepworth's important sculpture, Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red (1943), in the UK. The sculpture, created during World War II while Hepworth lived in Cornwall, was sold at auction for £3.8 million but is now under a UK government export bar that prevents it from leaving the country while funds are raised to acquire it for the Hepworth Wakefield museum in West Yorkshire, the artist's birthplace. The Art Fund charity has pledged £750,000, leaving approximately £2.9 million to be raised before the August 27 deadline to secure the piece for public display. The sculpture is a pivotal work from Hepworth's transformative 1940s period, featuring painted wood and multi-colored strings, and is significant for its representation of modernism and Hepworth's exploration of form and emptiness. If successful, the acquisition would fill a crucial gap in the museum's collection and allow the sculpture to be exhibited across the UK, preserving its cultural importance and accessibility. Without the funds, the sculpture risks being acquired by private collectors abroad, making the campaign critical for maintaining this key piece of British art heritage.