Page 60 - World of Art Contemporary Art magazine: The 2023 Guggenheim issue

In the late 1960s, Eva Hesse sought to make objects that
WORLD-CLASS ART was all her own. Simultaneously adopting and pushing
were neither painting nor sculpture, but a hybrid that

against the prevailing Minimalist language of repetitive
forms and hard edges, her work is imbued with a haptic
experience that reflects her keen interest in materiality
EVA HESSE:
EXPANDED EXPANSION and incongruity. To create Expanded Expansion (1969),
the show’s central piece, the artist painted pliable layers
of natural latex rubber onto cheesecloth panels, and
Exhibition: Eva Hesse: Expanded Expansion
supported them on rigid fiberglass and polyester resin
Venue: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth
poles, resulting in a massive scrim that expands or
Avenue, New York, Tower Level 5
contracts to fit its environment. At once commanding
and humorous, the towering structure leans against the
wall, balanced on a series of awkward “legs”. A short
A POWERFUL WORK BY EVA HESSE IS ON PUBLIC DISPLAY
Guggenheim-produced documentary chronicles the
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 35 YEARS AFTER A COMPLEX AND
piece’s restoration from its status as “unexhibitable,”
DEDICATED PROCESS OF RESTORATION.
detailing the museum’s vast research, dialogue, and
A focused exhibition devoted to influential and
meticulous conservation processes.
experimental artist Eva Hesse (b. 1936, Hamburg,
Accompanying Expanded Expansion is a selection of
Germany; d. 1970, New York) is on view July 8 through
smaller experimental works that reveal Hesse’s skillful
October 16 at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Eva
hand and visceral manipulation of materials. Visitors
Hesse: Expanded Expansion is both an examination of the
are also given a rare look into the artist’s working and
artist’s studio practice and an invitation to explore the
transformation and afterlife of a restored monumental
work, displayed publicly for the first time in 35 years. Installation view, Eva Hesse:Expanded Expansion, Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum. Photo: David Heald © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation,

58 WORLD of ART