Photograph of Eva Hesse Artwork: Washer Table

The sculptural work by Eva Hesse pictured here began its life as a waist-high table built by Sol LeWitt for his first gallery show. After the show, LeWitt shortened the table and gave it to Hesse, who in turn added thousands of rubber washers to its surface and re-gifted it to LeWitt, referring to it as a drawing. (She joked that LeWitt now owed her a new table, which he did indeed produce.) LeWitt then installed glass over the rubber rings and used Washer Table as a proper coffee table. The well-known Dutch furniture designer Martin Visser proposed manufacturing it for a wider market, but never followed through.

In its many manifestations and contexts, Washer Table exemplifies the mix of humor and deep respect with which Hesse and LeWitt approached each other’s work. It also illustrates their shared interest in playing at the edges of what constitutes a work of art, and questioning what separates it (if at all) from mere furniture.