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Drawing played a central role in the work of the abstract sculptor Eva Hesse. This and the three works in the case below represent different moments in Hesse's career, before she turned her attention to sculpture in 1964-5. The earliest drawing, at right in the case, was completed while Hesse was studying art at Cooper Union in New York. This rare figural work of a female nude in a studio was done before Hesse had developed her own abstract style; it is the work of a student, experimenting with subject matter, technique, and medium. Soon after finishing school in 1959, Hesse began producing abstract drawings based on geometric shapes. The drawing in the center of the case, done in watercolor and gouache, shows a deliberately playful rendering and placement of geometric forms. The luminous hues of this work are common in Hesse's drawings of this period. The work hanging on the wall is a collage of five pieces of paper. Many drawings from this period are marked by Hesse's experimentation in collage. The Allen Memorial Art Museum was the first museum to purchase a sculpture, Laocoön, by Hesse, in 1970. In gratitude for its recognition of Hesse's work, and following the artist's untimely early death, her sister Helen Hesse Charash donated the artist's archives - including drawings, notebooks, sketchbooks, and other materials - to the Museum.