I have always loved the fetishistic quality of Eva Hesse’s sculptures, and Accession II (1968-69) is no exception. An open cube made of steel screens perforated with innumerable flaccid vinyl tubes discloses an interior that is dense, bristling, and sensuous. The hard geometry and precision of Minimalism is evoked but disrupted, replaced with a tactility that is both alluring and grotesque.

- Patricia Maloney

Image: Eva Hesse. Accession II; galvanized steel and vinyl; 30.75 x 30.75 x 30.75 in. Image courtesy the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI.

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Art Practical and Daily Serving are proud to jointly participate alongside other art media in heralding A Day for Detroit. Seven writers from both publications have each selected a work from the collection of the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA), a treasure trove that could inconceivably be sacrificed if Detroit’s emergency manager forces a sale of the collection to alleviate some of the city’s staggering debt.