Barbara Hepworth Blue Plaque

About This Blue Plaque

Dame Barbara Hepworth, one of Britain’s most influential sculptors of the 20th century, lived and worked at 24 St Ann’s Terrace in London’s St John’s Wood from 1927. Born in Wakefield, Yorkshire in 1903, Hepworth showed early promise in art and went on to study sculpture at the Leeds School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London.

Hepworth’s abstract sculptures, often featuring pierced forms and organic shapes, were groundbreaking in their exploration of space and form. Her work was influenced by the landscape of her childhood in Yorkshire and her travels to Europe, where she met artists like Picasso and Braque. Some of her most famous sculptures include “Single Form” (1961-1964), created in memory of her friend, the former UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld, and “Winged Figure” (1963), commissioned for the John Lewis department store on Oxford Street.

Throughout her career, Hepworth received numerous accolades, including being appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1965. She represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1950 and had a retrospective at the Tate Gallery in London in 1968. Hepworth’s legacy continues to inspire artists and art enthusiasts worldwide, with her sculptures displayed in major museums and public spaces across the globe. The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden in St Ives, Cornwall, where she lived and worked from 1949 until her death in 1975, is dedicated to preserving and showcasing her life’s work.

The blue plaque at 24 St Ann’s Terrace, erected in 2020, commemorates not only Barbara Hepworth but also her first husband, John Skeaping, a fellow sculptor who lived and worked with her at this address in 1927. The plaque serves as a reminder of the significant contributions both artists made to the world of sculpture and the vibrant artistic community that thrived in the Borough of Westminster during the early 20th century.