I was doing a course in Art History at Westfield College Finchley..gone now I think. One evening…read morethe kitchen talk, over copious amounts of wine, was about public sculptures. We recalled the one on the wall of John Lewis in Oxford Street.The next day 3 of us stood in Oxford Street with a
questionaire. We stopped people and asked if they had ever noticed. No-one had including people who passed it every day and a sculptor.
The Barbara Hepworth abstract sculpture may be noted on the side of John Lewis towards the Oxford Street front. It is called Winged Figure (1932) and is of aluminium and string. From Cavendish Square, go north, parallel to Portland Place, along Harley Street.
The sculpture on the eastern side of the building and was put there in 1963.
(b Wakefield, 10 Jan 1903; d St Ives, 20 May 1975). English sculptor and draughtswoman. She trained as a sculptor at Leeds School of Art in 1919 and at the Royal College of Art, London, from 1920 to 1923, where she was associated with other artists from Leeds, including Henry Moore.
British-born sculptor Barbara Hepworth has been called one of the outstanding women artists of the twentieth century. Throughout her working life and until her death, she never received the recognition of male contemporaries She died on May 20, 1975, in a tragic fire in her home at St. Ives, Cornwall. The house is now a museum and features many of her works.
It`s hard to imagine that back in 1864, Oxford Street, which today lies at the heart of London`s West End shopping area, was lined with tiny single shops such as booksellers, shoemakers and goldsmiths.
It was here that John Lewis leased a shop. At 28 he had 14 years` experience in the drapery trade, working as a buyer at Peter Robinson. He began selling ribbons and haberdashery and in 1870, expanded into linens.
He knew how to buy well and was scrupulously honest, quickly gaining a reputation for good value.
Over the next 20 years, the shop grew considerably. First by leasing buildings in Holles Street, next by the acquisition of more shops in Oxford Street, and finally, in 1895, by the purchase of Cavendish Buildings.
During the 1930s, the shop continued to flourish, but on Wednesday 18 September 1940, disaster struck. An oil bomb fell on the West House, and the fire, fanned by a strong wind, crossed to the East House.
It took a day and a half before the fire was brought under control but, despite the considerable damage, part of the shop re-opened for business within three weeks. However it was not until 1954 that the slow business of rebuilding began. It was decided to consolidate the premises onto one site - that of the West House.
It is still there today so please notice barbara's sculpture as you pass. As a female scuptor myself I would like her work to be noticed.
