Dorothy Hepworth 1898-1978
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Biography
Studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and graduated in 1919 with first class honours. At the Slade she met a fellow student Patricia Preece, who became her lifelong partner. Dorothy Hepworth set up a studio with Patricia Preece in London. They went to Paris to study art and Hepworth attended the Atelier Colarossi for four years. Hepworth returned to England in 1925 and with Preece became part of the Bloomsbury circle. In 1927 they both settled in Cookham. Preece married to the artist Stanley Spencer in 1937, but the marriage did not last long and she moved back in with Hepworth. Dorothy Hepworth exhibited at the Royal Academy in whilst studying at the Slade, Dorothy Warren Gallery in 1928 and in 1936 at the Lefevre Gallery, often signing her works Patricia Preece. During the 1930s Hepworth's paintings were bought by Virginia Woolf, Augustus John and Kenneth Clark and successful exhibitions were staged at the Leger Galleries in London. Christie's held a studio sale of Dorothy Hepworth's work in 1984. In 1991 Bloomsbury Workshop held a retrospective exhibition of her paintings and drawings organized by Michael Dickens.
Dorothy Hepworth and Patricia Preece: An Untold Story is at Charleston in Lewes from March 27 to September 8. Denys J Wilcox’s The Secret Art of Dorothy Hepworth aka Patricia Preece is published by The Court Gallery.