Barbara Hepworth (specifically Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth) was born on January 10, 1903, in Wakefield, England. Hepworth first studied art in Leeds. There she became friends with Henry Moore.
After completing her studies in Leeds, Hepworth went to the Royal College of Art in London to become a sculptor. She participated in both the first and second "documenta" exhibitions in Kassel, in 1955 and 1959 respectively.
Barbara Hepworth died on May 20, 1975, during a fire in her studio in St. Ives in Cornwall.