Is is twenty-five years since the publication of How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson, a book which made a huge impact as much for the quality of the writing and recipes as for the ironic title which was widely and often wilfully misunderstood. Likewise the endpapers (above). So this week on the Post we have famous cookery books which are known for much more than their recipes. 

The Hepworth Wakefield, designed by David Chipperfield, opened in 2011 to house Wakefield's art collection and to provide a legacy for Barbara Hepworth in her home town. As well as a fascinating range of her works, maquettes, and studio materials and objects, the gallery has a programme of excellent exhibitions. There is also a beautiful garden by Tom Stuart-Smith (free to all, open daily) with incredible tulips in the spring. 

While the Barbara Hepworth sculpture that has recently been saved is not large, she also worked on a monumental scale (eg Single Form (1964) outside the United Nations). This is Winged Figure  - almost 6m high - which was installed in 1963 on the side of John Lewis on Oxford Street. It is now listed at Grade II* and is seen every day by thousands of shoppers. 

Although she lived and worked in Hampstead in the 1930s (the Royal Academy has a useful guide to the modernist artists and architects who were there at that time), Barbara Hepworth's working life is most closely associated with St Ives in Cornwall. Her modest house and studio, together with the marvellous sculpture garden, are now part of Tate St Ives. A visit is a marvellous way to gain an insight into her life and work.

Barbara Hepworth's artistic achievements are exceptional but her personal and domestic life is also fascinating and the subject of many articles and books both during her lifetime and after. She is one of the most interesting female artists of the twentieth century and fought against the idea that the "pram in the hall" (with triplets in it, in her case  plus an older son) should stifle her immense talent and drive. She wrote, "I found one had to do some work every day, even at midnight, because either you are professional or you're not... provided one always does some work each day, even a single half hour, so that the images grow in your mind". Here she is in the mid-1930s with her children and husband, Ben Nicholson.

 Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red  (1943) has been saved for the nation, this week on the Post we have Barbara Hepworth (1903-75). The wooden carving with rare use of colour marked a breakthrough at a difficult point in her life when she was dealing with the demands of a young family compounded by limited time, money, and materials due to the war. It will now be on permanent display at The Hepworth in Wakefield, where she was born and grew up. 

Interior at the Cottage is by Luke Martineau (b1970) who frequently paints domestic subjects. It illustrates how, in so many ways, kitchens are timeless and unchanging; this one could be contemporary or from one of several centuries.