"The incredible response to its closure showed us how vital this space is, not just for Edinburgh, but for audiences across Scotland and beyond.
If bought, the Hepworth said it would be a "star piece" in its collection.The gallery also planned to lend it to other museums and galleries across the UK, "opening up access for people everywhere".
Simon Wallis, gallery director, said: "We established The Hepworth Wakefield 14 years ago to celebrate, explore and build on Barbara Hepworth's legacy."This sculpture is the missing piece, a masterpiece which deserves to be on display in the town where Hepworth was born."Sir Antony said: "Barbara Hepworth's work remains a luminary example of both an engagement with modernism and a return to direct carving.
"The opportunity for the museum named after her to acquire this important work is precious and should be supported."The gallery is home to Wakefield's art collection, including significant works by Dame Barbara but excluding her finished works from the 1940s.
Jenny Waldman, Art Fund director, said: "This rare and significant sculpture should be on public display in the UK now and for generations to come.
"Every museum should have the power to secure landmark works of art but in today's challenging funding climate they simply cannot compete with the prices demanded on the open market."The latest four-minute compilation released by the SBU shows a number of key details.
Shot from the perspective of some of the 117 drones involved, we see Russian strategic bombers, transport aircraft and airborne warning and control (AWACS) being hunted down.Fires can be seen raging on a number of stricken planes.
For the first time, we get glimpses under the wings of some of the bombers, revealing that they were already armed with cruise missiles, which Russia has used to devastating effect in its air raids on Ukraine.The drones, many flown remotely by a separate pilot, sitting far away in Ukraine, are carefully and precisely aimed at vulnerable points, including fuel tanks located in the wings.