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Caption

  • A smooth, abstract bronze sculpture in an oval shape with a central hole, displayed on a rectangular wooden plinth.

Zennor

Barbara Hepworth (1903–75)

1965

Sculpture (bronze)

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Description

Barbara Hepworth created this sculpture. Hepworth was a leading figure in modernism and in the St Ives group of artists. It is said to be inspired by the hamlet of Zennor, close to Hepworth's home in St Ives, Cornwall.

You can learn more about Barbara Hepworth on RAMM’s collections site.

This object was selected by a member of the LGBTQ+ community as part of the Out and About: Queering the Museum at RAMM project. Find out why in that section of the guide.

Visual description: Of ovular form, almost pebble-shaped, the sculpture is smooth and dark in colour. The bronze is green-toned and there is an abstract-shaped hole in the centre. It stands on a wooden plinth, which is monographed ‘BH’ and numbered ‘1/7’.

RAMM Treasures Trail - Object 10 - Zennor

Learn about the tenth object in our RAMM Treasures of the Museum trail, Zennor.

Treasures of the Museum: Zennor

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Transcript

Adam Garratt: My name is Adam Garratt, and I'm a Museum Assistant at RAMM.

On the ground level of the museum in the courtyard, near the café, we have an object by Barbara Hepworth, and it's called Figure in a Landscape. [Note: the correct title is Zennor, not Figure in a Landscape].

It's cast in bronze, and it's set on a wooden plinth, and it has a small section inside that's been carved out. So it's got this really lovely organic form carved into it, which has a different colour to the rest of the object. So, you have this really lovely definition of the inside and the outside.

I know that this is a small work for Barbara Hepworth. We're obviously very used to having large public sculptures that she makes.

Barbara Hepworth is synonymous with being in St Ives. She grew up in the north of England, so it's quite a vast change, I think, being in the Cornish landscape. But I think landscape is the key thing when you think of Barbara Hepworth. That organic form, I think, is what really drove her practice.

Now that the museum is open, it would be really nice to share what I've found out about this sculpture. I think part of my job role is to have those interactions with visitors and learn from them about what they've learned, but also show them things that maybe they would overlook.

Credits

Watch RAMM staff and volunteers tell us why they love each of the 16 objects, and hear the fascinating stories that make these items so special.

Additional Information

Dimensions
135 x 193 mm
Credit
Purchased with support from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, Art Fund and the Friends of RAMM.
Accession Number
107/1994

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