Overview

• The Hepworth Wakefield raised £3.8m, including £1.89m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £750,000 from Art Fund, supported by more than 2,800 public donations.
• After a £3.55m sale at Christie’s in March 2024, DCMS imposed a temporary export bar in November on advice from the Reviewing Committee, allowing time for a UK acquisition of the privately owned, rarely seen work.
• Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red (1943) is a rare wooden, string‑carved piece from a pivotal period in Hepworth’s practice.
• The sculpture will join The Hepworth Wakefield’s collection for permanent public display in the artist’s home city, addressing a gap in the museum’s holdings from the 1940s.
• Support for the campaign included leading artists Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Rachel Whiteread and Richard Deacon, with additional backing from the Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation and The Henry Moore Foundation.