The Hepworth Wakefield featured in a double-page spread in last Saturday’s Guardian entitled ‘People’s Palaces’. Each of the five contenders for the Museum of the Year is championed by a different advocate. Martin Parr, who held an exhibition, The Rhubarb Triangle and Other Stories, at the museum last year writes about the Hepworth Wakefield, describing it as ‘a fantastic space, beautifully designed and functioning very well’.
The £100,000 prize, which is given annually by the Art Fund charity, rewards museums that deliver innovative programmes and outreach. The other contenders are the Sir John Soane Museum and Tate Modern in London, The National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art in Newmarket and the Lapworth Museum of Geology in Birmingham.
In the last year, the Hepworth has seen visitor numbers increase dramatically and has held several well received exhibitions. Currently showing is ‘Disobedient Bodies’ a retrospective of the fashion designer J.W. Anderson which juxtaposes sculptural work from artists such as Henry Moore and Louise Bourgeois with his own creations.
The exhibition runs until 17 June while the Museum of the Year winner will be announced 5 July.