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Eva Hesse: Wild Space, 1957–1970
May 30, 2027 – September 25, 2027
The Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art announces Eva Hesse: Wild Space, 1957–1970, New York’s first major museum exhibition devoted to the artist in more than 20 years. On view from May 30 through September 25, 2027, the exhibition will feature an extensive selection of works on paper made between 1957 and 1970, along with key paintings and major sculptures. Many of these works have not traveled in decades, including Contingent (1969), which is being shown outside of Australia for the first time since 1974. Organized to foreground Hesse’s expansive drawing practice, which served as the formal engine for her entire body of work, Eva Hesse: Wild Space, 1957–1970 will reintroduce this pathmaking artist to a new generation. As she said in a 1970 interview, “Really, the drawings could be called paintings legitimately and a lot of my sculpture could be called paintings and a lot of it could be called nothing.” One of the rare women artists working in New York during the 1960s to garner public acclaim, Hesse developed a radical approach to material, process, and form that remains influential to artists today.
Organized by Lanka Tattersall, Laurenz Foundation Curator, with Margarita Lizcano Hernandez, former Curatorial Associate, Eva Caston, Curatorial Assistant, and Henry Wahlenmayer, Louise Bourgeois Fellow, Department of Drawings and Prints.
Leadership support for the exhibition is provided by the Dian Woodner Exhibition Endowment Fund and by Paula Crown and The Crown Family.
Major funding is provided by the Julie A. Zoppo Endowment for the Exhibition of Women Artists.
Generous support for the publication is provided by Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder through The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art.
The Bloomberg Connects digital experience is made possible through the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Press Kit
Images
Eva Hesse. Contingent. 1969. Cheesecloth, latex, fiberglass, and polyester resin, overall: 137 13/16 x 248 x 42 15/16 in. (350 x 630 x 109 cm). National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Purchased 1973. © The Estate of Eva Hesse. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth
Eva Hesse. No title. 1965. Ink on paper, 19 1/2 × 25 in. (49.5 × 63.5 cm). Private collection, New York. © The Estate of Eva Hesse. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth
Eva Hesse. Ringaround Arosie. 1965. Pencil, acetone, varnish, enamel paint, ink, and cloth covered electrical wire on papier-mâché and masonite, 26 3/8 x 16 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (67 x 41.9 x 11.4 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Kathy and Richard S. Fuld, Jr., 2005. © The Estate of Eva Hesse. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth
Eva Hesse. No title. 1967. Nylon string, ink and graphite on paper, mounted to museum board, 14 x 14 in. (35.56 x 35.56 cm). Glenstone Museum. © The Estate of Eva Hesse. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth
Eva Hesse. No title. 1967. Ink on graph paper, 11 7/8 x 8 1/4 in. (30.2 x 21 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Ruth Vollmer Bequest, 1983. © The Estate of Eva Hesse. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth
Eva Hesse. No title. 1957. Etching, plate: 3 × 3 in. (7.6 × 7.6 cm); sheet: 5 1/4 × 4 3/4 in. (13.3 × 12 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Endowment, 2025. © The Estate of Eva Hesse. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth
Eva Hesse. No title. 1964. Gouache, watercolor, and ink on paper, 25 1/2 × 19 5/8 in. (64.8 × 49.8 cm). Private collection, New York. © The Estate of Eva Hesse. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth
Eva Hesse. Hang Up. 1966. Acrylic on cloth over wood and acrylic on cord over steel tube, 72 x 84 x 78 in. (182.9 x 213.4 x 198.1 cm). The Art Institute of Chicago, through prior gifts of Arthur Keating and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Morris. © The Estate of Eva Hesse. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth