BARBARA HEPWORTH, (1903-1975)
Helius
Helius
bronze with green patina
9 1/2 in (24 cm) (height)
Conceived in 1956, this bronze version cast in an edition of 7
We are grateful to Dr. Sophie Bowness for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.
Provenance
Sale: Sotheby's Arcade, New York, October 19, 1995, lot 135.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Literature
A. M. Hammacher, Barbara Hepworth, Cologne, 1958, pl. 28 (another cast illustrated).
J. P. Hodin, Barbara Hepworth, London, 1961, no. 216 (another cast illustrated).
Whitechapel Gallery (ed.), Barbara Hepworth: An Exhibition of Sculpture from 1952 - 1962, London, 1962 (another cast illustrated).
"You can't make a sculpture, in my opinion, without involving your body. You move and you feel and you breathe and you touch"
- Barbara Hepworth quoted in C. Nemser, Art Talk: Conversations with 15 Women Artists, New York, 1995, p. 21.
The pierced, undulating form of Helius exemplifies several elements crucial to the artist's practice: the inherent qualities of the natural material, the process of creating and the hand of the artist, and allusions to classical Mediterranean sculpture. Cast in 1956 in Hepworth's favored green mottled patina, the present lot is from an edition of seven. A rare example to come to market, Helius embodies traditional artistic concerns anew.
The title Helius derives from the Mycenean prince who was the personification of the Sun in Greek mythology. Although not a literal depiction of the sun, the light and airy sculpture, despite its medium, represents a personal expression of Hepworth's physical and spiritual encounter with nature and her exploration of shape and space in a formal yet inventive way. The uneven surface reveals layers of varied colors and textures, the weathering and working of the surface renders it a man-made embodiment of an organic form. Helius evokes a subtle yet powerful impact, the tranquility of the gentle and organic oval shape contrasts directly to the piercing of the form. As a pioneer of the Modernism movement, Hepworth pierced her first carving in 1931, introducing the 'hole' to British sculpture and the concept of negative space.
In 1933 Hepworth traveled throughout Europe with her second husband, painter Ben Nicholson, where she visited the studios of Europe's most influential artists and modernist sculptors: Georges Braques, Constantin Brâncuși, Alberto Giacometti and Hans Arp. The trip was pivotal to Hepworth's individual practice – allowing her to approach her own development as a sculptor with revised vigor while also earning the respect of Europe's most influential artists. Alongside Henry Moore, whom Hepworth met whilst a student at Leeds College of Art in the early 1920s, Hepworth became a primary exponent of 'direct carving' – a method in which the initial carving produces the final form, rather than creating preparatory maquettes and models. Hepworth forbade any use of mechanical tools, preferring age-old chisel and hammer. As she began to reduce her sculptures into increasingly simple and abstract shapes, the importance of the artist's hand would remain at the forefront of her practice.
When World War II broke out in 1939, Hepworth and Nicholson moved to the Cornish town of St. Ives, where she lived for the rest of her life. The wild terrain and beauty of St. Ives greatly influenced the artist; the light, sea air, and open spaces offered Hepworth a counter to the disruption and destruction of the war. This environment took realization in her sculpture – Helius exudes an organic fluidity with areas of depth and variability, encouraging the viewer to explore it at every angle.
After Hepworth's son Paul lost his life in a flying accident in 1953, her work went on pause. A friend took her on a trip to Greece to look at classical sculpture and carving, which had a profound spiritual and physical impact on her work. She left inspired by the light, landscape, and art of the region, and in 1956, after decades of direct carving, Hepworth began working with bronze. The medium enabled her to experiment with a greater variety of shapes than stone and wood, as well as work on larger scale and outdoor works. Hepworth made several smaller sculptures in 1956 specifically to be cast in the medium, such as the present work. She began to cut and carve into the surface of her bronze works, reflecting her admiration for the new medium: "I only learned to love bronze when I found that it was gentle and I could file it and carve it and chisel it" (Barbara Hepworth in a letter to Ben Nicholson, October 2, 1966).
The present lot has important provenance, hailing from the Estate of Yvonne de Chavigny Segerstrom (1928 – 2019). An esteemed collector and champion of arts in culture in Southern California, in the 1970s, Segerstrom introduced the work of Isamu Noguchi to her husband, Henry T. Segerstrom. Together they commissioned Noguchi's famed California Scenario, a one-and-a-half-acre integrated landscape comprised of seven massive structural elements in Costa Mesa. Like Noguchi, Hepworth's use of bronze in 1956 represented a new direction in the possibilities of abstract sculpture. Having remained in the same private collection for over 25 years, the present lot is one of two casts from this edition to ever come to market.
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Helius
Helius
bronze with green patina
9 1/2 in (24 cm) (height)
Conceived in 1956, this bronze version cast in an edition of 7
We are grateful to Dr. Sophie Bowness for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.
Provenance
Sale: Sotheby's Arcade, New York, October 19, 1995, lot 135.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Literature
A. M. Hammacher, Barbara Hepworth, Cologne, 1958, pl. 28 (another cast illustrated).
J. P. Hodin, Barbara Hepworth, London, 1961, no. 216 (another cast illustrated).
Whitechapel Gallery (ed.), Barbara Hepworth: An Exhibition of Sculpture from 1952 - 1962, London, 1962 (another cast illustrated).
"You can't make a sculpture, in my opinion, without involving your body. You move and you feel and you breathe and you touch"
- Barbara Hepworth quoted in C. Nemser, Art Talk: Conversations with 15 Women Artists, New York, 1995, p. 21.
The pierced, undulating form of Helius exemplifies several elements crucial to the artist's practice: the inherent qualities of the natural material, the process of creating and the hand of the artist, and allusions to classical Mediterranean sculpture. Cast in 1956 in Hepworth's favored green mottled patina, the present lot is from an edition of seven. A rare example to come to market, Helius embodies traditional artistic concerns anew.
The title Helius derives from the Mycenean prince who was the personification of the Sun in Greek mythology. Although not a literal depiction of the sun, the light and airy sculpture, despite its medium, represents a personal expression of Hepworth's physical and spiritual encounter with nature and her exploration of shape and space in a formal yet inventive way. The uneven surface reveals layers of varied colors and textures, the weathering and working of the surface renders it a man-made embodiment of an organic form. Helius evokes a subtle yet powerful impact, the tranquility of the gentle and organic oval shape contrasts directly to the piercing of the form. As a pioneer of the Modernism movement, Hepworth pierced her first carving in 1931, introducing the 'hole' to British sculpture and the concept of negative space.
In 1933 Hepworth traveled throughout Europe with her second husband, painter Ben Nicholson, where she visited the studios of Europe's most influential artists and modernist sculptors: Georges Braques, Constantin Brâncuși, Alberto Giacometti and Hans Arp. The trip was pivotal to Hepworth's individual practice – allowing her to approach her own development as a sculptor with revised vigor while also earning the respect of Europe's most influential artists. Alongside Henry Moore, whom Hepworth met whilst a student at Leeds College of Art in the early 1920s, Hepworth became a primary exponent of 'direct carving' – a method in which the initial carving produces the final form, rather than creating preparatory maquettes and models. Hepworth forbade any use of mechanical tools, preferring age-old chisel and hammer. As she began to reduce her sculptures into increasingly simple and abstract shapes, the importance of the artist's hand would remain at the forefront of her practice.
When World War II broke out in 1939, Hepworth and Nicholson moved to the Cornish town of St. Ives, where she lived for the rest of her life. The wild terrain and beauty of St. Ives greatly influenced the artist; the light, sea air, and open spaces offered Hepworth a counter to the disruption and destruction of the war. This environment took realization in her sculpture – Helius exudes an organic fluidity with areas of depth and variability, encouraging the viewer to explore it at every angle.
After Hepworth's son Paul lost his life in a flying accident in 1953, her work went on pause. A friend took her on a trip to Greece to look at classical sculpture and carving, which had a profound spiritual and physical impact on her work. She left inspired by the light, landscape, and art of the region, and in 1956, after decades of direct carving, Hepworth began working with bronze. The medium enabled her to experiment with a greater variety of shapes than stone and wood, as well as work on larger scale and outdoor works. Hepworth made several smaller sculptures in 1956 specifically to be cast in the medium, such as the present work. She began to cut and carve into the surface of her bronze works, reflecting her admiration for the new medium: "I only learned to love bronze when I found that it was gentle and I could file it and carve it and chisel it" (Barbara Hepworth in a letter to Ben Nicholson, October 2, 1966).
The present lot has important provenance, hailing from the Estate of Yvonne de Chavigny Segerstrom (1928 – 2019). An esteemed collector and champion of arts in culture in Southern California, in the 1970s, Segerstrom introduced the work of Isamu Noguchi to her husband, Henry T. Segerstrom. Together they commissioned Noguchi's famed California Scenario, a one-and-a-half-acre integrated landscape comprised of seven massive structural elements in Costa Mesa. Like Noguchi, Hepworth's use of bronze in 1956 represented a new direction in the possibilities of abstract sculpture. Having remained in the same private collection for over 25 years, the present lot is one of two casts from this edition to ever come to market.
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
