Barbara Hepworth

Estate of the artist
Acquired from the above in 1985

Barbara Hepworth (exhibition catalogue), Gimpel Gallery, New York, 1969, illustration of another cast n.p.
St. Ives Group Exhibition (exhibition catalogue), Bath Festival, Bath, 1969, another cast exhibited
Barbara Hepworth. Recent Work: Sculpture, Painting, Prints (exhibition catalogue), Marlborough Fine Arts, Ltd., London, 1970, illustration of another cast p. 21
Alan Bowness, The Complete Sculpture of Barbara Hepworth, 1960-69, London, 1971, no. 461, illustration of another cast pl. 12

The sculpture is in very good condition. The four polished vertical bronze elements display a bright reflective surface that is in excellent condition. A small nick in the bronze was noted along the edge of one of the elements. Tiny pits were observed on the polished surfaces, which were a result of porosity, an inherent feature in the cast. Several shallow scratches were noted on the face of several of the polished elements. The patinted bronze base below that supports the elements exhibits a dark brown patina that is in very good condition. The base is clean and has a fresh protective wax coating. The sculpture is structurally sound. The above condition report has been provided by Wilson Conversation, LLC 100 East 5th St. Brooklyn, NY 11218 718-852-8894, objects@wilsonconservation.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Executed in 1968, Four Figures Waiting is a beautiful example of Hepworth's mature sculpture. Through an entirely abstract pictorial language, it suggests the embodiment of a highly stylized, universal image of human figures and reflects the artist's fascination with the relationship between man and nature. Hepworth incorporates the concept of positive and negative space in her abstract forms, and she weaves the surrounding space into her sculpture by piercing one standing form to allow light and air to flow through the bronze.

Abstract and decidedly modern, Four Figures Waiting possesses a distinct beauty and sense of timelessness in its solidity and curvilinear formation. In her aspiration towards universality, Hepworth embraced a nonrepresentational mode of expression, avoiding any narrative in her compositions. With its solid upright forms, the present work possesses a sense of timelessness and a static grandeur of totems. Toward the end of her career, Hepworth wrote about the meaning that she assigned to many of her sculptures: “Working in the abstract way seems to realise one's personality and sharpen the perceptions so that in the observation of humanity or landscape it is the wholeness of inner intention which moves one so profoundly. The components fall into place and one is no longer aware of the detail except as the necessary significance of wholeness and unity...a rhythm of form which has its roots in earth but reaches outwards towards the unknown experiences of the figure. The thought underlying this form is, for me, the delicate balance the spirit of man maintains between his knowledge and the laws of the universe” (Barbara Hepworth, Barbara Hepworth. A Pictorial Autobiography, Bath, 1970, p. 93).

As evidenced by Four Figures Waiting, Hepworth drew her inspiration from a variety of aesthetic sources, including the monumental work of her contemporary Henry Moore as well as the organic and elegant stone carvings of Brancusi and Arp. In the last decade of her life, however, her sculpture more consciously took on subjects that related to human history, culminating in her monumental series The Family of Man. As the artist herself admitted, there is a certain poignancy about her late sculpture, as they addressed topics of special significance to her in the last decade of her life.