Artwork description:

As part of the exhibition Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life, The Hepworth Wakefield commissioned British artist Veronica Ryan to create a new installation. This intervention highlights Hepworth's work as an enduring source of inspiration and celebrate her artistic legacy. In addition to the commision, Veronica Ryan has generously produced this limited edition sculpture, with all profits supporting the ambitious learning and exhibition programmes at the gallery.

The investigation of human experience through abstract sculpture is central to both artists’ work. Hepworth spoke of ‘the figure in the landscape’, referring to a person’s relationship to their environment. Ryan explores this interaction through material encounters. This sculpture edition evokes the fruits and flowers of a Magnolia tree that Ryan saw recently in Hepworth’s garden in St Ives. Two magnolia pods she found there have been cast in bronze with a chemical patina which produces a beautiful finish which will change subtly over time. These irregular, organic structures remind Ryan of soursop fruits found in Monserrat, memories that relate to her mother who migrated to the UK from the Caribbean and would travel across London to source familiar fruit and vegetables.

Please note this work is engraved by the artist

Materials used:

Bronze