Betye Saar

Betye Saar (born 1926)

Saar was raised in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. She recycles and transforms found objects and images into mixed-media collages, assemblage sculptures, and large-scale installations that address racial stereotypes, gender issues, and her family history. Opposition to injustice has been central to Saar’s work, and she was active in the Black Arts and Feminist movements. She has received numerous awards, including NEA, Getty, and Guggenheim Fellowships, as well as several honorary doctorate degrees.

Important Source Material:

Carpenter, Jane H. with Betye Saar. Betye Saar. Petaluma, Calif.: Pomegranate Communications, Inc, 2003.

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery. Saar: Migrations/Transformations. New York: Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, 2006.

Shepherd, Elizabeth, ed. Secrets, Dialogue, Revelations: The Art of Betye and Alison Saar. Los Angeles: Wight Art Gallery, University of California, 1990.

AM