The reception of American artist Eva Hesse (1936-1970) is exemplary of the process of myth-making in the art history of the 20th century. She is seen as a conqueror of Minimal Art and a guardian of the human spirit. Tietenberg offers alternative interpretations that reinterpret Hesse's art. By her early thirties, Eva Hesse had achieved what most artists dream of: she was extremely successful. A productive artistic life with prospects for recognition and financial independence lay ahead of her, had it not been for an incurable illness that abruptly ended her work at the age of 34. Posthumously, Eva Hesse rose to the status of a heroine of the New York avant-garde - at the cost of being portrayed as an 'exemplary sufferer.' In art criticism and art historical commentary, a terminology of suffering, illness, and death prevails.