Eva Hesse Biography and Artwork

Eva Hesse was a groundbreaking artist who helped redefine the possibilities of sculpture in the 1960s. Born to a Jewish family in Hamburg, Germany, she immigrated to New York City with her family in 1939 to escape Nazi persecution. Hesse studied art in New York and at Yale School of Art and Architecture.

Hesse’s works are known for their eccentric materials such as latex, fiberglass, and plastics which she used to create new sculptural forms with organic, emotional, and kinetic aspects. Her sculptures were bold and asymmetrical and often had an unfinished appearance.

Hesse’s mother’s death following a divorce when the artist was ten years old deeply affected her artwork which began to explore themes of absence, vulnerability, memory, and trauma. Hesse created art that often reflected her own struggles with health issues including a brain tumor that eventually took her life at age 34.

Today Eva Hesse is celebrated as one of the most pioneering artists of her generation whose work continues to inspire contemporary artists worldwide.

All Eva Hesse Artwork on Artchive