The Hepworth Wakefield museum, supported by the Art Fund, has launched a public appeal to raise £3.8 million ($5 million) to acquire Barbara Hepworth's rare 1943 sculpture *Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red*. The work was purchased by a private collector at Christie's London in March 2024 for the same amount, but the UK government imposed a temporary export ban in December 2024, citing its outstanding historical and aesthetic significance. The museum has until August 27 to raise the remaining £2.9 million; the Art Fund has already contributed £750,000. If the goal is not met, the collector may export the piece.
This campaign matters because the sculpture represents a pivotal period in Hepworth's career—the 1940s—and the Hepworth Wakefield currently owns no finished works from that decade. Acquiring the piece would ensure it remains on public display in the UK, either at the museum or through loans to major exhibitions. The appeal has drawn support from prominent artists including Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley, and Rachel Whiteread, underscoring the work's cultural importance. The outcome will test the effectiveness of the UK's export bar system in retaining nationally significant artworks.