Barbara Hepworth 1903-1975
Disc with Strings (Moon), 1969
Aluminium and string
23 1/4 x 18 1/2 x 5 7/8 in
59 x 47 x 15 cm
59 x 47 x 15 cm
Edition of 9
Numbered 9/9
An engagement with the raw elements of nature is at the centre of Hepworth’s practice, and her late work in particular reveals a deep fascination with the relationship between the...
An engagement with the raw elements of nature is at the centre of Hepworth’s practice, and her late work in particular reveals a deep fascination with the relationship between the sun, moon and sea. Hepworth stated, “A sculptor’s landscape is one of ever-changing space and light where forms reveal themselves in new aspects as the sun rises and sets, and the moon comes up. It is a primitive world; but a world of infinite subtle meaning.” Disc with Strings (Moon) was first exhibited in 1970 at Marlborough Fine Art, alongside Disc with Strings (Sun), in polished bronze. The contrasting sensations of warmth and coolness inherant to the materials convey the different characters of the two celestial bodies. The aluminium could also be read as a reference to the space age - heralded by Neil Armstrong’s moon landing that year. In a remark to Herbert Read in 1952, Hepworth said “the strings were the tension I felt between myself and the sea, the wind or the hills”.
Provenance
The Estate of Barbara HepworthPrivate Collection
Exhibitions
1970, London, Marlborough Fine Art, Barbara Hepworth: Recent Work: Sculpture, Paintings, Prints, Feb. - March 1970, cat. no. 231979, New York, Marlborough Gallery, Barbara Hepworth, 5 May – 29 June 1979, cat. no. 34
On long term loan to the Hepworth Wakefield, until 2019
Literature
Adrian Stokes, Barbara Hepworth: Recent Work: Sculpture, Paintings, Prints, exh. cat., Marlborough Fine Art, 1970, cat. no. 23, pp. 23 and 29 (illus.)Alan Bowness, ed., The Complete Sculpture of Barbara Hepworth 1960-1969, Lund Humphries, 1971, cat. no. BH484, pl. 185 (illus.)
