Barbara Hepworth at Tate Britain

The big museums have been receiving quite a bit of stick of late in the ongoing debate of whether they should charge or not.  One of the allegations is that they focus too much on big money spinning exhibitions at the expenses of the public exhibitions.  Certainly this is the view of Bendor Grosvenor in the 18th August post of his Art History New Blog.

I don’t agree.  Certainly in respect of Tate Britain I don’t agree.  I find the public exhibition to be excellent and it is periodically updated.

I also greatly enjoy and find to be well worthwhile the paying exhibition.  The current excellent example of this is Barbara Hepworth currently at Tate Britain.  The exhibition is very well laid out, taking you in an ordered thoughtful way through her life from the early more figurative work to the later larger abstract pieces, and including of course probably the work people will be most familiar with, the cored out shapes with lines of string or wire passing through them.  The whole experience finishes in a re-creation of the Rietveld Pavilion sculpture garden.

The only part that caused me pause was in the second room where her work is contrasted with that of her partner.  It was justified in the narrative terms of her life but this is something that I only seem to see with female artists.  Tate Modern did it too with Sonia Delaunay (although to a lesser extent).   Male artists don’t seem to get the same treatment.  Often their partners fade into the background.  Perhaps there is a good reason for this but I find it suspicious.  I also, frankly, was not interested in seeing his work and neither did I think it added much to the exhibition.

I do like Hepworth though.  I can tell when I am in the presence of great art.  I causes, in me, a sensation of calmness, a sort of psychic relaxation and a sort of scratching sensation at the back of my head.  This exhibition caused it in abundance particularly two pieces (reference).  I do recommend you go.