1995.18
Untitled
Artist
Eva Hesse
(Hamburg, Germany, 1/11/1936 - 5/29/1970)
Title
Untitled
Creation Date
1964
Century
20th century
Dimensions
19 5/8 in. x 25 1/2 in. (49.8 cm. x 64.7 cm.)
Object Type
drawing
Creation Place
North America, United States
Medium and Support
brush & black ink, brush & colored inks, white, and collage with traces of graphite on white wove paper
Credit Line
Museum Purchase, George Otis Hamlin Fund
Copyright
This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s
Copyright Terms and Conditions.
Accession Number
1995.18
"Untitled" is an abstract, brightly colored, and zestful drawing that includes elements outlined in inks or applied as collage. Various “free, crazy forms,” as Hesse characterized them, hover around the principal shapes. A work that on first viewing appears disorganized, “Untitled” reveals over time a delicate compositional equilibrium. Drawing was of critical importance to Hesse, for it was the medium in which she felt most free to experiment. In the early part of her career, the artist struggled with painting because, as she explained, she felt obstructed by the weight of tradition. “Untitled” was likely completed shortly before her transition to three-dimensional work. In 1965, she began producing latex, fiberglass, and plastic sculptures that helped to usher in Postminimalist art. This drawing allows the viewer a glimpse into the creative mind of an artist at a pivotal moment in her extremely brief career.
Object Description
drawing of abstract shapes against a yellow background, with added collage elements