EVA HESSE

Eva Hesse (1936–1970) was a German-born American artist associated with Postminimalism. After fleeing Nazi Germany as a child, she grew up in New York and studied at institutions including Cooper Union and Yale under Josef Albers. In the 1960s she developed a distinctive sculptural language using unconventional materials such as latex, fiberglass, rope, and cheesecloth, favoring repetition, irregularity, and organic form over rigid geometry. Her work challenged the industrial severity of Minimalism by introducing vulnerability, tactility, and psychological nuance. Despite a career cut short by a brain tumor at age 34, she produced influential pieces that reshaped contemporary sculpture. Hesse’s experimental approach to process and material decay has had a lasting impact on generations of artists.