DISCOVER THE ARTS OF YORKSHIRE
Yorkshire art comprises a confident and creative spirit that can be witnessed across the diverse range of art galleries, craft centres, theatres and museums. From the mighty sculptures set in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, to quaint independent art galleries in market towns and cool exhibition spaces in the urban centres. There's a visual feast just waiting to be discovered.
THE HEPWORTH WAKEFIELD, WEST YORKSHIRE
The Hepworth Wakefield is an award-winning art gallery in the heart of Yorkshire, set within Wakefield’s historic waterfront overlooking the River Calder. Designed by the acclaimed David Chipperfield Architects, the gallery opened in May 2011.
Named after Barbara Hepworth, one of the most important artists of the 20th century who was born and brought up in Wakefield, the gallery presents major exhibitions of the best international modern and contemporary art and has dedicated galleries exploring Hepworth’s art and working process.
The regular fairs and markets support artists and makers throughout the year. Plus the award winning learning programme engages and inspires families, communities and educational institutions.
It’s also home to Wakefield’s art collection – an impressive compendium of modern British art, including works by Ben Nicholson, Patrick Heron, L.S. Lowry, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore as well as work by significant contemporary artists such as Frank Auerbach, Maggi Hambling, Anthea Hamilton, Martin Parr and Eva Rothschild.
The Hepworth Wakefield Garden, one of the UK’s largest free public gardens designed by Tom Stuart-Smith, opened in 2019. Tom Stuart-Smith’s design draws inspiration from its unusual setting between 19th-century red-brick mills and a 21st-century art gallery, edged by the River Calder. It echos the striking, angular shapes of the David Chipperfield-designed gallery while harnessing a naturalism that reflects Barbara Hepworth’s deep connection to the landscape. Seating, open spaces and step-free paths within the garden reflect how we anticipate the widest possible audience will use and move through the space.
https://hepworthwakefield.org/
HENRY MOORE INSTITUTE, LEEDS, WEST YORKSHIRE
The Henry Moore Foundation runs two venues, in Leeds and Hertfordshire, showing a mix of Moore’s own work and other sculpture. They also fund a variety of sculpture projects through our Henry Moore Grants and Research programmes and have a world-class collection of artworks which regularly tour both nationally and internationally.
The Henry Moore Institute, a centre for the study and enjoyment of sculpture in the city of Leeds, has a varied programme of exhibitions and events and provides an invaluable sculpture resource for researchers, students and artists. It’s situated next door to Leeds Art Gallery on The Headrow, in Leeds city centre's cultural hub.
As well as presenting exhibitions and events, encouraging research and hosting a library dedicated to sculpture, the Institute curates the sculpture collection of Leeds Museums and Galleries, which includes an unrivalled archive of sculptors' papers.
Henry Spencer Moore (1898-1986) was one of the most important British artists of the twentieth century and arguably the most internationally celebrated sculptor of the period. He is renowned for his semi-abstract monumental bronzes, which can be seen all over the world.
Moore was born in Castleford, a small mining town in Yorkshire, in 1898. After training to be a teacher and serving in the British Army he studied at Leeds School of Art and then the Royal College of Art, London. By the 1950s Moore had begun to receive a number of international commissions. He continued working in sculpture, drawing, printmaking and textile design until his death in 1986.
Moore was a pioneer, and the first British artist to become a global star in his own lifetime. His work came to symbolise post-war modernism and can be said to have caused a British sculptural renaissance.
YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK, BRETON, WAKEFIELD, WEST YORKSHIRE
500 acres of fields, hills, woodland, lakes and formal gardens combine to create a beautiful landscape and stunning setting for Yorkshire Sculpture Park. But this landscape is not entirely natural. In fact it has been altered a lot in the last few hundred years, mainly for the families that have lived here since the land was listed as 'waste' in the Domesday Book.
Founded in 1977, YSP was the first sculpture park in the UK, and is the largest of its kind in Europe, providing the only place in Europe to see Barbara Hepworth’s The Family of Man in its entirety alongside a significant collection of sculpture, including bronzes by Henry Moore, and site-specific works by Andy Goldsworthy, David Nash and James Turrell.
The open-air collection comprises long and short term loans, gifts from artists and individuals and site-specific commissions. There are always around 100 sculptures and installations to discover in the open air.
CARTWIGHT HALL ART GALLERY, BRADFORD, WEST YORKSHIRE
Cartwright Hall Art Gallery is one of the U.K's leading regional art galleries. Situated in the picturesque Lister Park, the civic art gallery has permanent art collections. In addition, the gallery plays host to a number of temporary in-house curated exhibitions and visiting exhibitions, working with partners such as the National Portrait Gallery, V&A Museum of Childhood, the British Museum in London and many more national and international venues.
To celebrate David Hockney’s 80th birthday a new gallery has opened. It has been created in close collaboration with his studio and follows the first steps on his incredible journey towards becoming one of the world’s most significant living artists. "The David Hockney Gallery” at Cartwright Hall will focus on his formative years in Yorkshire.
Born in Bradford on 9 July 1937, David Hockney is celebrating his 80th birthday and 60 years of working as an artist in 2017. At Cartwright Hall, the public collection that inspired Hockney as a child and student, the galley has opened a dedicated gallery about his life and work. Visitors can see an introduction to the artist and his techniques, early works showing how it all began in Bradford and watch previously unseen footage of the artist in his Bridlington studio.
The permanent exhibition includes:
Personal family photos displayed publicly for the first time
A new short film of unreleased material of Hockney talking and working at his Bridlington studio
Rarely exhibited early sketchbooks
The largest public collection of work from his time at Bradford School of Art
Original artwork created at Cartwright Hall by Hockney’s father Kenneth at a workshop in the building in 1974
https://www.bradfordmuseums.org/venues/cartwright-hall-art-gallery/david-hockney-gallery
Enjoy exploring the Arts of Yorkshire and get ready to admire art, sculptures and other art forms in fantastic locations.