Embroidery constituted the major part of Hessie's practice, but her work – which has attracted renewed attention in recent years – embraces a broader scope than is at first apparent.
Cuba-born but based in France since 1962, Hessie developed her signature practice from the 1970s on: seductive, rigorous compositions of abstract and geometric motifs in white or coloured cotton thread on unbleached cotton canvas.

More infrequently, her works feature stitched-on buttons, holes, or typewritten letters dispersed across the fabric support, together with collages of objects or materials on paper.
Her repetitive techniques are the basis for a strict formal repertory, expressed in series of works with functional, descriptive titles: Grillages (grid forms), Bâtons pédagogiques (teaching sticks), Végétation or Machines à écrire (typewriters).

Hessie died in Pontoise, France on 9 October 2017 at the age of 81.
Embroidery constituted the major part of Hessie's practice, but her work – which has attracted renewed attention in recent years – embraces a broader scope than is at first apparent. Cuba-born but based in France since 1962, Hessie developed her signature practice from the 1970s on: seductive, rigorous compositions of abstract and geometric motifs in white or coloured cotton thread on unbleached cotton canvas.
More infrequently, her works feature stitched-on buttons, holes, or typewritten letters dispersed across the fabric support, together with collages of objects or materials on paper. Her repetitive techniques are the basis for a strict formal repertory, expressed in series of works with functional, descriptive titles: Grillages (grid forms), Bâtons pédagogiques (teaching sticks), Végétation or Machines à écrire (typewriters).
Hessie died in Pontoise, France on 9 October 2017 at the age of 81.
Hessie