born Jan. 10, 1903, Wakefield, Eng.
died May 20, 1975, St. Ives
British sculptor.
Her work, naturalistic at first, became abstract by the 1930s, when she produced severe geometrical pieces with straight edges. As Hepworth's sculpture matured during the late 1930s and '40s, she concentrated on the problem of the counterplay between mass and space. By the 1950s she was internationally famous, and she received many prestigious commissions, including Single Form (1963), a memorial to Dag Hammarskjold at the UN Building, New York City. She became, with Henry Moore , a leader of the modern movement in England and one of the most influential sculptors of the mid 20th century.