The Personal Library
of Barbara Hepworth: A Case Study in the Curation and Interpretation of
Artists’ Libraries
Keywords: quasi-staff member, archival, curatorial, public programming, exhibitions, public programming, research workshops, interpretation, Wakefield, library, gallery
Artists’
libraries are generally an understudied area of the legacy of an artist and
have an uncertain status as to both value and use. Taking the case study of the
personal library of the sculptor Barbara Hepworth, formerly housed at The
Hepworth Wakefield, this thesis combines archival research with a curatorial
intervention to demonstrate the value of such traditionally overlooked areas of
knowledge in the study of both Hepworth’s work, and that of artists more widely.