Barbara Hepworth was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire in 1903. She began her artistic training at the Leeds School of Art, where she first experimented with sculpture. She was later awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art, where she became acquainted with the sculptor Henry Moore. Following her formal training, Hepworth travelled to Italy to work in Siena before settling in Rome, where she honed her approach to carving stone. In 1926 the artist returned to England, upon which her accomplished sculptures began to attract significant attention as part of the ‘New Movement’.

Following her marriage to the artist Ben Nicholson, Hepworth began to approach abstraction in her work. The organic forms of her sculptures encouraged the artist’s popularity to flourish. In 1949 the artist relocated to St Ives, where she established the Trewyn Studio. Hepworth was greatly admired among artists and collectors alike. She was awarded a C.B.E. in 1958 and was later appointed Dame due to her outstanding contribution to the arts.