Rare Eva Hesse Painting Discovered at Goodwill Auction: The True Story Behind the Remarkable Find
Lost and Found: The Rediscovery of a Long-Lost Eva Hesse Painting in a Goodwill Auction
Not all masterpieces hang in gilded frames on museum walls — some are hiding in plain sight, waiting to be discovered by a keen eye and a well-honed instinct. In one of the most remarkable art finds in recent memory, an early painting by celebrated postwar artist Eva Hesse, missing for decades and marked as “Whereabouts Unknown” in her official record, surfaced in an unexpected place: ShopGoodwill.com.
The Find That Changed Everything
It began with a simple text. Glenn Spellman, a certified appraiser and longtime treasure hunter, spotted a striking abstract painting titled Landscape Forms on Goodwill’s online auction platform. The 30-by-24-inch canvas bore the bold and gestural brushwork of an accomplished hand — and in the corner, a signature: “E.H.”
Spellman immediately shared the listing with his sister Kara, an art world insider and director of Estates and Acquisitions at Manhattan’s prestigious Hollis Taggart Gallery. At first glance, she suspected it might be an early work by Eva Hesse, a radical sculptor revered for her role in the Post-Minimalism movement.
Turns out, she was absolutely right.
A Race Against Time
To confirm their hunch, Kara raced against the clock. She contacted the Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, urgently requesting the catalogue raisonné — the definitive record of Hesse’s known works. With some fortunate networking, Kara secured access and located the painting listed within its pages: “Landscape Forms” (1959), signed, dated, but lost to time.
Documented only in a grainy black-and-white slide stored at Oberlin College’s Allen Memorial Art Museum, the painting had seemingly vanished—until it reemerged in a Frederick, Maryland, Goodwill warehouse.
The Backstory of Eva Hesse
Eva Hesse was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1936, and escaped Nazi persecution through the Kindertransport to London with her sister as a child. The family later immigrated to New York, where Hesse’s talent blossomed. A graduate of Yale School of Art, she initially studied under color theorist Josef Albers. Though widely known for her groundbreaking sculptural work in latex, cheesecloth, and fiberglass, Hesse began her career as a painter.
“Landscape Forms” is part of that early era. Painted when she was still at Yale, the piece reflects Hesse’s exploration of Abstract Expressionism and draws a line between her inner emotional world and the natural environment.
The painting was likely misplaced, given away, or forgotten across the years. Its mysterious disappearance only adds to its value and allure.
From Online Auction to High Art
Recognizing the importance of the find, Glenn and Kara Spellman sprang into action. After winning the painting for $40,000 — a sum surprisingly modest compared to the multi-million-dollar records held by Hesse’s sculptures — Glenn personally retrieved it, choosing not to risk damage during shipping. Once in New York, the piece was restored and re-stretched before being exhibited at major art fairs like the Armory Show.
Despite its significance, securing a buyer has proven challenging. The art market largely associates Hesse’s value with her works in sculpture, and few are aware she had a significant early output of paintings. As Kara explained, “It throws people. Not everyone knows she painted before the sculpture.”
That may change soon. “Landscape Forms” is headed to Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale this May, where its estimate of $60,000–$80,000 could be handily surpassed. Experts suggest its rediscovery story alone could propel its final price closer to six figures.
The Art of the Hunt
For Glenn Spellman, this isn’t just luck — it’s dedication. A lifelong “picker,” he’s been digging through estate sales, storage units, and online listings for decades. “I’m not an artist,” he said. “I’m a treasure hunter. A detective.”
His partner in search and scholarship, Kara, brings the academic and institutional savvy needed to authenticate and elevate a stray Goodwill painting into a gallery-worthy, museum-caliber rediscovery.
Together, the siblings form a rare hybrid of instinct, skill, and passion, tracing their fascination for the forgotten back to childhood days scavenging bottles near a creek in upstate New York. What began as a barter economy for candy has crystallized into expert eyes for unearthing lost treasures of art history.
The Legacy of Eva Hesse, Renewed
While many of Hesse’s greatest works are preserved in world-class institutions, such as The Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim, the return of “Landscape Forms” reminds us that even the most celebrated artists leave behind stories yet to be told — and sometimes, those stories begin in the depths of a thrift store inventory.
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