Briony Fer on Eva Hesse
In episode 30 of The Great Women Artists Podcast, Katy Hessel interviews the incredible art historian and curator, Professor Briony Fer, on the legendary EVA HESSE!!\n\n[This episode is brought to you by Alighieri jewellery: www.alighieri.co.uk | use the code TGWA at checkout for 10% off!]\n\nOne of the most GROUNDBREAKING artists the world has ever seen, Eva Hesse was known for her innovative sculptures made up of synthetic materials from fibreglass, plastic, to latex.\xa0\n\nWorking predominantly\xa0in NYC in the 60s, despite a short-lived career, Eva worked rigorously\xa0and prolifically, challenging every sculptural convention which came before her. Particularly deconstructing the rigidity and uniformity of Minimalism.\xa0\n\nA pioneering feminist artist, Hesse desired, in her own words, to \u201cchallenge the norms of beauty and order.\u201d And that's exactly what she did. She explored the body and form, and painting and sculpture, like no one had before. She painted biomorphs with wonky grids, covered cheesecloths in latex, and celebrated materials for what they were in all their irregular glory.\xa0\n\nBorn to Jewish parents in Nazi Germany in 1936, Hesse's early life was traumatic. Where her extended family were horrifically transported to concentration camps, she, her sister and their parents fled to NYC, with her mother sadly committing suicide just a few years later. Hesse channelled her anxieties\xa0into her art making, studying under the likes of Josef Albers at Yale, and taking the NY art scene by storm when she was just in her late 20s and early 30s. Earning herself major solo exhibitions and critical acclaim at a time when female artists were widely overlooked, Hesse explored wonders before her premature death in 1970, aged just 34. She has since gone on to influence millions.\n\nThis discussion with world-renowned art historian Briony Fer \u2013\xa0an old tutor of mine from UCL!! \u2013\xa0is one of my favourites ever. Briony speaks SO wonderfully about Eva and really goes into depth about who she was, and her fiercely experimental practice. \n\nI hope you enjoy!!!\n\nHighly recommend this fantastic documentary on Eva! https://www.evahessedoc.com/\n\nWORKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:\nAccession\nhttps://www.dia.org/art/collection/object/accession-ii-47951\nSchema\xa0\nhttps://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/72573.html?mulR=601651032\nDrawings\nhttps://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hesse-untitled-t04154\nRingaround Arosie\nhttps://www.moma.org/collection/works/98638\nVertiginous Detour\nhttps://hirshhorn.tumblr.com/post/141099084095/eva-hesse-vertiginous-detour-1966-hesse-was-a\nUntitled or Not Yet\nhttps://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/97-513-a-i/\nHang Up\nhttps://www.artic.edu/artworks/71396/hang-up\nRight After\nhttps://womennart.com/2018/02/21/right-after-by-eva-hesse/\nRepetition 19\nhttps://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/eva-hesse-repetition-nineteen-iii-1968/\n\nThis episode is sponsored by Alighieri\xa0\nhttps://alighieri.co.uk/\n@alighieri_jewellery\nUse the code: TGWA for 10% off!\xa0\n\nFollow us:\nKaty Hessel: @thegreatwomenartists / @katy.hessel\nSound editing by Amber Miller (@amber_m.iller)\nArtwork by @thisisaliceskinner\nMusic by Ben Wetherfield\n\nhttps://www.thegreatwomenartists.com/