DIRECTOR, THE HEPWORTH WAKEFIELD                         

SIMON WALLIS

Director, The Hepworth Wakefield

Simon Wallis was appointed Director of The Hepworth Wakefield in July 2008, which opened to the public in May 2011 and celebrates this year its 10th anniversary.

Previously he was Director of Chisenhale Gallery in East London; Senior Exhibition Organiser at the ICA, London; and Curator at Tate Liverpool and at Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge. He studied fine art at Chelsea School of Art and subsequently at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA and gained an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies at the University of Manchester.

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Patrick Heron, Girl with Jonquils, 1950. Courtesy of Castlegate House Gallery.

“This is a great period of Heron’s early work balancing figuration and abstraction. The painting has an intriguing presence that draws in the eye to linger. I love the pastel tones too. It has a calming effect on me, I’d love to live with it. He was a superb painter, and an excellent art critic.”

Akiko Hirai, Extra Large Moon Jar, 2020. Courtesy of Beaux Arts Bath.

“A great contemporary ceramic artist. I love the textures, glazes and forms of her work. She has an immediately recognisable language that she has developed. It’s full of energy and eye-catching detail. I love to physically turn these pieces regularly and change the light that falls on them. I am lucky enough to own a smaller moon jar in my own collection.”

Christopher Wood, The Red Cottage, Broadchalke, c.1928. Courtesy of Crane Kalman Gallery.

“I appreciate the fresh, loose handling of the paint and I’m immediately drawn into this delightful landscape. I love the Christopher Wood portrait Boy with Cat from my time as curator at Kettle’s Yard. I was delighted we got to borrow it at The Hepworth Wakefield a few years ago. Wood died far too young at only 29: a wasted talent.”

Reg Butler, Study for Sacrificial Figure, 1952. Courtesy of Osborne Samuel. 

“A compelling sculpture that is deceptively simple but leaves the viewer with a powerful, unsettling, memory. It’s post-war angst and trauma perfectly captured and transformed.”

Lucie Rie, Bowl with bronze rim, c1970s. Courtesy of Oxford Ceramics.

A wonderful potter – I love the delicacy and powerful presence of her works.  I encountered her in my first job as curator at Kettle’s Yard and always worried about the safety of the bowl in the collection every time we had a lunchtime concert in the house.  I relished handling the work.”

Howard Hodgkin, One Down, 1981-82. Courtesy Jenna Burlingham Fine Art.

“I am a huge fan of Hodgkin’s work. I especially like his prints. This is a mysterious image and I enjoy the fact it doesn’t use his signature bright hues of colour. I feel mesmerised by the image. It’s a self-contained world.”

Patrick Heron, Girl with Jonquils, 1950. 51 x 61cm. Courtesy of Castlegate House Gallery.

Patrick Heron, Girl with Jonquils, 1950. Courtesy of Castlegate House Gallery.

“This is a great period of Heron’s early work balancing figuration and abstraction. The painting has an intriguing presence that draws in the eye to linger. I love the pastel tones too. It has a calming effect on me, I’d love to live with it. He was a superb painter, and an excellent art critic.”

Extra Large Moon Jar, Akiko Hirai, 2020. Ceramics, 2020. Courtesy of Beaux Arts Bath

Akiko Hirai, Extra Large Moon Jar, 2020. Courtesy of Beaux Arts Bath.

“A great contemporary ceramic artist. I love the textures, glazes and forms of her work. She has an immediately recognisable language that she has developed. It’s full of energy and eye-catching detail. I love to physically turn these pieces regularly and change the light that falls on them. I am lucky enough to own a smaller moon jar in my own collection.”

The Red Cottage, Broadchalke, Christopher Wood, c.1928. Oil on board, 39.5 x 54.5cm. Courtesy of Crane Kalman Gallery.

Christopher Wood, The Red Cottage, Broadchalke, c.1928. Courtesy of Crane Kalman Gallery.

“I appreciate the fresh, loose handling of the paint and I’m immediately drawn into this delightful landscape. I love the Christopher Wood portrait Boy with Cat from my time as curator at Kettle’s Yard. I was delighted we got to borrow it at The Hepworth Wakefield a few years ago. Wood died far too young at only 29: a wasted talent.”

Reg Butler, Study for Sacrificial Figure, 1952. Courtesy of Osborne Samuel.

Reg Butler, Study for Sacrificial Figure, 1952. Courtesy of Osborne Samuel. 

“A compelling sculpture that is deceptively simple but leaves the viewer with a powerful, unsettling, memory. It’s post-war angst and trauma perfectly captured and transformed.”

Lucie Rie, Bowl with bronze rim, c1970s. Ceramics, 11 x 20.5 cm. Courtesy of Oxford Ceramics.

Lucie Rie, Bowl with bronze rim, c1970s. Courtesy of Oxford Ceramics.

A wonderful potter – I love the delicacy and powerful presence of her works.  I encountered her in my first job as curator at Kettle’s Yard and always worried about the safety of the bowl in the collection every time we had a lunchtime concert in the house.  I relished handling the work.”

Howard Hodgkin, One Down, 1981-82. 121.9 x 91.4 cm. Courtesy Jenna Burlingham Fine Art.

Howard Hodgkin, One Down, 1981-82. Courtesy Jenna Burlingham Fine Art.

“I am a huge fan of Hodgkin’s work. I especially like his prints.  This is a mysterious image and I enjoy the fact it doesn’t use his signature bright hues of colour. I feel mesmerised by the image. It’s a self-contained world.”

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