Hepworth sculpture set to sell for millions

Staff at Sotheby's, London, stand next to a sculpture titled Parent I, 1970, by Dame Barbara Hepworth in the Modern & Post-War British Art section and estimated at Â£2,000,000 - Â£3,000,000, which makes up part of Sotheby's forthcoming National Treasures auctions.

Parent I, part of The Family Of Man - a group of sculptures which contributed to the Wakefield-born artist’s success in her final years - will go on sale at Sotheby’s in London on Tuesday.

The piece represents the universal mother of the family and is one of the central figures of the group.

Four individual casts were produced of Parent I, with the other three now held in public collections including The Hepworth Wakefield.

The sale will also include one of Dame Barbara’s curved forms.

Curved Form With Inner Form is expected to fetch up to £700,000.

Frances Christie, head of Sotheby’s Modern and Post-War British Art, said: “We are thrilled to be offering this monumental standing form - the pinnacle of one of the most iconic series executed by giant of 20th century British art, Barbara Hepworth.

“Hepworth is the only British female artist to have two public galleries dedicated to her and, following a hugely successful retrospective at Tate Britain last year, the appetite for the very best examples of her work has never been stronger.”

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