Anish Kapoor and Rachel Whiteread back campaign to keep Barbara Hepworth sculpture in the UK

Artists Anish Kapoor, Veronica Ryan, and Rachel Whiteread are advocating for the acquisition of Barbara Hepworth's 1943 sculpture, Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red. The Art Fund charity, in partnership with the Hepworth Wakefield gallery, has launched a public fundraising appeal, needing to raise £2.9 million by August 27. While the sculpture sold last year for £3.8 million, the UK government has placed an export bar on it, highlighting its cultural significance and connection to Hepworth's Cornish inspirations—the gallery seeks to fill a gap in its collection of 1940s works.

"If we're successful, it would be pretty much on permanent display to the public, either in Wakefield or we would lend it to important exhibitions around the country."

Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red embodies the Cornish sky, sea and rugged coastline in which she lived and which influenced her so deeply.

Read at Theartnewspaper