Event Press Release

SFMOMA To Present Lecture Series And Public Programs In Conjunction With Major Retrospective eva Hesse

Release date: January 31, 2002

The San Francisco Museum of Art (SFMOMA) will present the 2002 Phyllis Wattis Distinguished Lecture Series and other public programs in conjunction with the exhibition Eva Hesse, on view at the Museum February 2 through May 19, 2002. The 2002 Phyllis Wattis Distinguished Lecture Series, Eva Hesse: Augment, Contingent, Schema and Sequel, will comprise three separate events: a lecture by Anne Middleton Wagner, professor of art history at the University of California, Berkeley on Thursday, April 25; a screening of Wagner's lecture followed by a panel discussion on Friday, April 26; and a daylong symposium featuring exhibition curator Elizabeth Sussman and Wagner on Saturday, April 27.

Other public programs include an ongoing interactive educational program, accessible via computer terminal in the galleries and on the Museum's Web site; a Teacher Institute on Saturday, March 9; a noontime presentation of the Art Sandwiched In series featuring Ralph Rugoff, director of the Institute of Exhibitions and Public Programs, California College of Arts and Crafts on Tuesday, April 23; and daily docent tours.

Tickets for events at SFMOMA may be purchased (without a surcharge) at the admissions desk in advance and on the event date (subject to availability). Tickets may also be purchased at www.ticketweb.com or by phone at 415/478-2277 or 510/762-2277 (a surcharge will be applied). Event tickets include Museum admission. For more information, the public can call the Public Programs Hotline at 415/947-1292.

The 2002 Phyllis Wattis Distinguished Lecture Series
Eva Hesse: Augment, Contingent, Schema and Sequel

Thursday, April 25, 2002
Reception · 6 p.m. · The Schwab Room
Wattis Distinguished Lecture · 7–9 p.m. · Phyllis Wattis Theater
Augment: The Life of Language, and Why Words Matter to Hesse's Art
Professor Anne Middleton Wagner will examine the special connection between the titles Hesse gave her sculptures such as Augment, Contingent, Schema and Sequel and the constructed objects themselves. The lecture will be followed by responses by Brigid Doherty, assistant professor of art history at Johns Hopkins University, and Helen Molesworth, curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

$12 general admission; $8 SFMOMA members, students with ID and seniors (includes admission to cocktail reception).


Friday, April 26, 2002
Lecture Screening - 10:30 a.m. - Phyllis Wattis Theater
Discussion - Noon - Phyllis Wattis Theater
Contingent: Art and Conversation Review and Response
A video of Wagner's lecture will be screened for Bay Area college students and faculty, followed by a discussion led by Wagner, Doherty and Molesworth.

Free to college students and faculty with ID and SFMOMA members. The discussion is free to Museum visitors with admission.


Saturday, April 27, 2002
Symposium - 10 a.m.-5 p.m. - Phyllis Wattis Theater
Eva Hesse: Schema and Sequel
Participants include exhibition curator Elisabeth Sussman, catalogue essayist Briony Fer, Anne Middleton Wagner, Brigid Doherty, Helen Molesworth and others to be announced.

Noted artists, scholars, curators and conservators will consider Hesse and her work. The morning session, Schema: Materiality and Making, will look at Hesse's studio methods, her ideas about making art and the art world of her time. In the afternoon, Sequel: Legacies of Eva Hesse Today will focus on how the viewer experiences Hesse's work, the fragility of the objects and their influence on other artists.

$15 general admission; $8 SFMOMA members, students with ID and seniors. For a detailed schedule of the symposium's proceedings and speakers, please check the SFMOMA Web site at http://www.sfmoma.org.

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Ongoing / February 2 through May 19, 2002
Interactive Educational Program - Fourth-floor galleries and www.sfmoma.org
This multimedia computer program provides a glimpse of Hesse's working process. The program surveys four key artworks with archival images, excerpts from Hesse's notebooks and insightful commentary by the artist, her contemporaries and Elisabeth Sussman, the exhibition's curator.


Ongoing / February 2 through May 19, 2002
Docent-Led Gallery Tours
Daily (except Wednesdays) - 1:30 p.m.
Highlights from Eva Hesse
Meet in the Haas Atrium. The tour is free with Museum admission.


Saturday, March 9, 2002
Teacher Institute - 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m. - Phyllis Wattis Theater
The Sculpted World of Eva Hesse
Through a careful look at Eva Hesse, this program actively analyzes the contributions of Hesse and her female contemporaries to the dialogue of art history.

$35 general admission; $30 SFMOMA members. Advance registration is required; call the School and Teacher Programs Office at 415/357-4105.


Thursday, April 23, 2002
Art Sandwiched In - Noon - The Schwab Room
The Legacy of Eva Hesse
Speaker is Ralph Rugoff, director of the Institute of Exhibitions and Public Programs, California College of Arts and Crafts; introduction by Madeleine Grynstejn, SFMOMA Elise S. Haas Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture.

Before her untimely death at age thirty-four, Hesse created introspective drawings, sculptures and installations reflecting the depth of her psyche. Rugoff will discuss how Hesse's work revolutionized the art world and influenced contemporary artists. This program is sponsored by the Modern Art Council.

$50 general admission; $45 SFMOMA members (includes lunch). Seating is limited; reserve early by calling 415/357-4127.

Media Contacts

  • Jessica O’Dwyer, 415/357-4176,
  • Libby Garrison, 415/357-4177,
  • Sandra Farish Sloan, 415/357-4174,

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