Barbara Hepworth at The Courtauld: Beauty Without Emotion

Am I a Pleb for Not Loving the Barbara Hepworth Exhibition at the Courthauld?

I am not sufficiently artistic to have a visceral reaction to art, but let me tell you, I thought the Barbara Hepworth exhibition at the Courthauld was more like the Emperor’s bald pate.

The sculptures were smooth, bland and pastel. The most engaging part of the exhibition was the coloured backdrops.

A Wooden Barbara Hepworth Sculpture with Lined detail

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How I Survived the Barbara Hepworth Exhibition

I wiled away the time with my dear friend telling me about Barbara Hepworth’s life in Cornwall, her lurid affairs and the demands of motherhood. Without these anecdotes, my visit may have been even shorter.

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The Artistic Allure of Barbara Hepworth

I totally get the allure of making these sculptures. There must have been an intense pleasure in finding the chunks of stone, marble and wood, and then chipping and sanding away to get a perfectly smooth eggshell texture and shape. You could feel Barbara Hepworth’s mission was to tame nature. However, the pieces didn’t move me – for example, they lacked the muscularity and emotional charge of Henry Moore.

The string element in some of the sculptures provided a certain fascination…as in What’s all that about?

A Stone Barbara Hepworth Sculpture with a Pastel Painted Interior and String Detail

If you are looking for a really nice afternoon tea nearby after the Courthauld, try the Delaunay Restaurant.

Spriograph vs Barbara Hepworth

All I could think about was those popular Spirograph toys of the 1960s that let you create geometric line drawings.

Was there skill in the works on display? Doubtless. Was going to the exhibition a hip thing to do? Yes, I am sure telling people that you went to the Barbara Hepworth at The Courthauld puts you right up there with the arty intelligentsia.

If you’re fascinated by modernist sculpture, abstraction or Barbara Hepworth herself, you’ll probably appreciate this exhibition far more than I did. She is, after all, one of the greatest British sculptors.

But for me personally, I would have preferred to sit in the café and play with a Spirograph.

More Information

Official exhibition page

Hepworth in Colour – The Courtauld Gallery

The Courtauld Gallery

Exhibition details

Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour
Venue: The Courtauld Gallery
Dates: 12 June – 6 September 2026.

Opening times

Daily: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Last admission: 5:15 pm
Selected Friday late openings: until 8:00 pm on 12 June, 26 June, 31 July and 4 September.

Money Saving Hack

If you have a National Arts Club Fund card, you can get into the Hepworth and Permanent Collection free.