Eva Hesse, (born Jan. 11, 1936, Hamburg, Ger.—died May 29, 1970, New York, N.Y., U.S.), German-born U.S. sculptor. She arrived in New York City with her family in 1939, fleeing the Nazi regime. She attended the Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, and Yale University. In 1964 she married and moved briefly to Germany and began making sculpture, developing a style featuring sensuous shapes and unconventional materials (including rubber tubing, synthetic resins, cord, cloth, and wire). In the 1960s she exhibited throughout the U.S. and achieved critical acclaim; her work was sometimes asssociated with Minimalism. In 1969 she underwent the first of three unsuccessful operations for a brain tumour. Her influence since her death has been widespread.
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