Untitled 1968

This sculpture was made by Eva Hesse at an unknown date using unfired clay and painted paper. Hesse worked in the late 1960s, a time when artists were pushing the boundaries of what art could be. This artwork questions the traditional values of sculpture. The materials used here are fragile and impermanent, contrasting with the traditional idea of sculpture as solid and lasting. The repetitive forms give the piece a sense of industrial production. Coming of age in postwar America, Hesse was influenced by the minimalist aesthetic, with its hard edges, industrial materials and emphasis on simplicity. But she took this further into an emotional register through her interest in bodily forms, new materials, and expressive ways of making. The study of Hesse involves knowledge of the institutions, galleries, and collections that have preserved her work. By studying her work, we can understand art as a reflection of its time, shaped by social and institutional forces.