Hepworth Wakefield opens its doors to the public this weekend

But what can the local audiences expect when they are invited to go through the doors of the Hepworth Wakefield, tomorrow?

The distinctive building, which has been labelled by some locally as Peter’s Box (after council leader Peter Box) is an extraordinary structure, almost a work of art in itself, designed by internationally renowned architect Sir David Chipperfield.

A series of 10 trapezoid blocks, as opposed to a single structure, inside the gallery there are an equal number of distinct spaces.

Eight of them are given over to the work of Barbara Hepworth; the city-owned collection finally gets an appropriate space to show off its wares. There is also an impressive room which takes visitors inside the working practices of the city’s most famous artist daughter.

Two of the rooms are given to temporary, rotating exhibitions. The artist with the honour of being the first to show in the galleries is Eva Rothschild, whose work has been seen all over the world.

The Irish artist, who is based in London, said: “I totally regard this as an honour. Ordinarily you do a show with someone that is already functioning and you just slot into the programme.

“Doing this is much more involved because you’re there at the start and you feel like part of the process.

“Barbara Hepworth is an artist I have looked at continuously for the last ten years and it’s a real honour to be part of this new place that celebrates her work.”

Rothschild’s work for the gallery, almost entirely created over the past 12 months, comes together under the title Hot Touch.

Natural Beauty, a large work which dominates the gallery space in which it sits, creates a centrepiece to Rothschild’s exhibition inside the gallery. It provides the ideal counterpoint to the work of Hepworth in the gallery paying tribute as it does to the history of sculpture while constantly looking forward.

Visitors to the gallery, which is expected to generate millions in income to the local economy, will have to be patient if they want to visit this weekend.

The fun begins tomorrow at 11am when local children will lead the celebrations by opening the new pedestrian footbridge over the River Calder and releasing 3,000 balloons.

For the opening weekend only, all visitors will be required to wear a wristband, providing 45 minutes viewing time within the gallery. Visitors are advised to pre-book their timed entry wristband to avoid queuing on the day.

This can be done online at www.hepworthwakefield.org or in person at Wakefield Tourist Information Centre, for details call 0845 601 8353. Wristbands can be collected on the day. There will be no car parking available at the gallery during the first two weekends of opening and traffic restrictions will apply around the gallery. Stewards and Arriva Angels will be around the city centre to help guide visitors and the gallery operate a free Park and Ride Shuttle Bus Service from Merchant Gate Car Park during the opening weekend and Bank Holiday weekend. A free Art Bus will also be running this weekend, taking visitors from the gallery to Yorkshire Sculpture Park on a first-come, first-served basis.