Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Appeal Surpasses £3m mark in Race to Keep Nationally Significant Work in UK, as National Lottery Heritage Fund support is secured
03 Jul 2025
Over 80% of the £3.8m needed to save Barbara Hepworth’s Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red for the nation has been raised in just one month, thanks to major grants and an influx of public donations.
The urgent campaign to save a nationally significant sculpture by Barbara Hepworth from leaving the UK has reached a major milestone, with over 80% of the £3.8m target raised within just one month due to exceptional grants and a remarkable wave of public support.
The final £750,000 must be secured by 27 August 2025 to prevent the sculpture from being lost overseas.
Today a major grant of £1.89m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery players, has provided a vital boost to the appeal, which is led by award-winning museum The Hepworth Wakefield and national charity Art Fund. Art Fund has also pledged an exceptional grant of £750,000 towards the acquisition and to date more than 1,300 members of the public have donated gifts ranging from £3 to six-figure sums, bringing ever closer the opportunity to secure this incredibly rare sculpture for permanent public display in Wakefield, Hepworth’s hometown.
The Hepworth Wakefield and Art Fund are encouraged by the public’s support so far, and welcome further donations of all sizes to reach the campaign’s ambitious final target, due in just eight weeks.
Donations can be made here.
Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red (1943) is a pivotal work by one of the most important artists of the 20th century. It is one of the earliest and finest examples of Hepworth’s innovative stringed sculptures and marks a breakthrough moment in her career. Currently in private ownership and rarely seen by the public, the sculpture was placed under a temporary export bar by the UK Government to give a UK museum the chance to acquire it for everyone to enjoy.
If successful, the sculpture will go on permanent public display at The Hepworth Wakefield, transforming the museum’s ability to tell the full story of Barbara Hepworth’s career in the town of her birth.
“Saving Heritage is one of our key aims and we are thrilled to award a major grant of £1.89m to The Hepworth Wakefield towards the acquisition ofSculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players. If the appeal is successful, this beautiful sculpture would take pride of place in this fantastic civic gallery and allow people to get closer to the exceptional heritage of one of the UK’s seminal sculptors in her hometown.” Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North, The National Lottery Heritage Fund
“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our supporters so far. Such a significant grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is transformative for our campaign, making this rare opportunity to acquire such an important Hepworth sculpture for Wakefield and the nation a giant leap closer to being a reality.” Simon Wallis, Director, The Hepworth Wakefield
“We are now so much closer to ensuring that this truly exceptional example of Barbara Hepworth’s pioneering work can be enjoyed by generations to come. But with under two months remaining to raise the final £750,000, every donation will make a huge difference.” Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund
