Richard Long

The Hepworth Wakefield is the UK's major new art gallery, in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and is one of the largest and finest galleries outside London. The gallery is committed to supporting engagement with the legacy and continuing potential of sculpture. Collection displays that highlight the contribution of British sculptors Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore to the development of twentieth century art will provide a rich historical framework for the work of Richard Long.

A history of connections between sculptural form and the Yorkshire landscape will frame Long's own crucial involvement with shifts in making sculpture; in particular his dematerialization of the art object and introduction of new and radical ways of working with the landscape. An associated Learning programme will use the simplicity and openness of Long's practice to engage with young people at risk of exclusion. The walk, the central tenet of Long's practice, will provide a methodology to re-engage audiences with their local environment.