Parrish Art Museum Screens 'Eva Hesse' on Friday, August 12
On August 12, the Parrish Art Museum along with Zeitgeist Films will screen, Eva Hesse, a documentary chronicling the story of the film’s namesake, Eva Hesse, a groundbreaking artist who escaped Nazi Germany during World War II.
Following her escape, Hesse was a pioneer of the Post-Minimalism movement. She escaped Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport, which brought children to safety during the war. The artist reunited with her parents and moved to New York in 1940 where she started her art career.
Hesse is famous for cross-breeding painting and sculpture using materials such as latex, fiberglass and plastics to create her works of art. Before her death in 1970, the artist created dozens of sculptures and hundreds of works on paper. Her works are now in the permanent collections of various art institutions.
The film, directed by Marcie Begleiter, captures the essence of Hesse’s art through the use of photographs, Hesse’s diary entries, letters written to friends and interviews with artists with whom she was close. The film also highlights Hesse’s ability to thrive in a mostly male-dominated field.
Before the screening, Helen Hesse Charach, the artist’s sister with whom she escaped Nazi Germany, will introduce the film. The documentary features Selma Blair as the voice of Hesse, Bob Balaban as the voice of Eva’s father, William Hesse; and Patrick Kennedy as the voice artist Sol Lewitt.
Begleiter has studied Hesse’s life for many years. The director also authored a play about Hesse called Meditations: Eva Hesse, and directed the short Eva Hesse, Walking the Edge. She also wrote a book about filmmaking called From World to Image: Storyboarding and the Filmmaking Process. This is Begleiter’s first feature documentary as a director. Watch the trailer below.
Eva Hesse will be screened at the Parrish Art Museum (279 Montauk Highway) in Water Mill, on Friday, August 12 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 for non-members and free for members. For tickets and more information visit parrishart.org.