Graduation Year
2015
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Art Conservation
Reader 1
Mary MacNaughton
Reader 2
Frances Pohl
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2015 Kaela L. Nurmi
Abstract
The sculpture of German-born American artist, Eva Hesse (1936-1970), presents many conservation challenges. Hesse’s experimentations with latex and fiberglass created stunningly innovative works of art in the late 1960s bringing these unorthodox materials into the world of fine art; but now these materials are creating major conservation problems. Her artwork is an extreme example of the conservation challenges of contemporary art. This thesis examines the challenges surrounding the conservation and replication of Eva Hesse’s large-scale latex and fiberglass sculptures. The latex and fiberglass materials that captivated Hesse are compromising the structural integrity of her large-scale sculptures today. Hesse’s art forces conservators to establish conservation practices specific to modern and contemporary art. Although replication pushes conservators to re-examine their usual practices and violates the standard notion of minimal intervention, the replication of Hesse’s sculptural works is necessary to represent her artistic vision.
Recommended Citation
Nurmi, Kaela L., "Challenges Surrounding the Conservation and Replication of Eva Hesse’s Sculpture" (2015). Scripps Senior Theses. 709.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/709
