Betye Saar

Key facts

Born

1926, American^[1]

Movement

• Black Arts Movement

^[1]

Works held in

4 museums

Wikipedia

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• What is Betye Saar known for?+

  Betye Saar is known for her assemblages that address racial identity, the treatment of Black Americans, and collective memory. Her works often incorporate found objects and cast-off materials.
• What is Betye Saar's most famous work?+

  Betye Saar is an American^[1] assemblage artist born in Los Angeles, California, in 1926^[1]. Her art often incorporates found objects and explores themes related to Black identity and the experiences of women. Saar's early artistic development was influenced by Joseph Cornell's box constructions, which inspired her to create her own assemblages using found objects within boxes and wooden frames. These arrangements often tell a story through the symbolic combination of items. One notable piece is "Blackbird," in which Saar explores the changing meaning of the word "blackbird", which she connects to racist language. Another artwork is "Shield of Quality" (1974), a mixed-media assemblage. In 1970, Saar co-organised the first Black women's art exhibition in the United States, held in Los Angeles. Her enchanting works became part of that exhibition.
• What should I know about Betye Saar's prints?+

  Betye Saar, born in 1926^[1], is an American^[1] assemblage artist. Her prints often incorporate themes related to her African-American heritage and feminist perspectives. Saar's artistic journey began with a childhood fascination for collecting found objects, a practice that evolved into her distinctive style of creating art from discarded materials. In 1967, an exhibition of Joseph Cornell's work, particularly his assemblage boxes, had a significant impact on Saar. Inspired by Cornell's "jewel-like" constructions, she began creating her own boxes and wooden frames, filling them with objects that, when combined, told a story. These assemblages often contain relics and vintage photographs, transforming the boxes into portable altars that pay homage to the values and memories of ancestors. Saar's work challenges racial stereotyping by presenting images of middle-class African Americans, reflecting her own experiences growing up before the Civil Rights era. In 1970, Saar co-organised the first Black women's art exhibition in the United States, held in her home city.
• What style or movement did Betye Saar belong to?+

  Betye Saar (born 1926^[1]) is an American^[1] assemblage artist. Assemblage is a type of three-dimensional construction using discarded objects and materials. The French artist Jean Dubuffet coined the term in the mid-1900s. Saar's childhood in Los Angeles, California, influenced her practice. She collected discarded items such as bottle caps, feathers, and buttons, fashioning them into dolls and puppets inspired by fairy tales. She was also influenced by the Watts Towers; construction of the Towers took 33 years, and they are made of cement and found objects like shells and broken glass. In 1967, Saar saw an exhibition by Joseph Cornell, known for his boxes filled with various objects. This inspired Saar to create her own boxes and wooden frames incorporating found objects to tell stories. Saar’s art often addresses the treatment of Black people, particularly women. In 1970, she co-organised the first Black women’s art exhibition in the United States, in Los Angeles. In 1972, she exhibited *The Liberation of Aunt Jemima*, a boxed collage, at Rainbow Sign, a Black cultural centre in San Francisco. The work featured a figurine of a Black woman holding both a broom and a rifle. Saar stated that she wanted to empower the Black woman by making her a revolutionary, rebelling against past enslavement.
• What techniques or materials did Betye Saar use?+

  Betye Saar is best known for assemblage, incorporating found objects into her art. She combines items with personal and cultural significance, often addressing themes of race, gender, and spirituality. Saar's work frequently includes vintage photographs, news clippings, and other ephemera. These elements are arranged within boxes, suitcases, or on altars, creating layered narratives. Her use of materials such as beads, feathers, and shells adds symbolic weight to her pieces. In the 1960s, Saar began incorporating overtly racist imagery into her art. This was a conscious effort to confront and reclaim these images, transforming them into statements of resistance and empowerment. Her work *The Liberation of Aunt Jemima* (1972) is a well-known example of this practice; it reclaims a caricature of a Black woman, turning it into a symbol of strength. Saar's artistic practice also extends to printmaking, collage, and mixed-media constructions. Her willingness to experiment with different media has allowed her to explore a wide range of subjects and ideas throughout her career.
• What was Betye Saar known for?+

  Betye Saar, born in 1926^[1], is an American^[1] assemblage artist. Her childhood habit of collecting unusual items became a skill for creating art from found objects. Saar's mother used odds and ends to make things, and Saar began collecting discarded items such as bottle caps, feathers, and buttons. She made these into dolls and puppets, inspired by fairy tales. In 1967, Saar saw an exhibition by Joseph Cornell and began creating her own boxes and wooden frames with objects that, together, told a story. She travelled to countries in Africa and Central America to find objects and images for her art. Saar's art often addresses the treatment of Black people, particularly women. In 1970, she co-organised the first Black women's art exhibition in the United States, in Los Angeles. In 1972, Saar exhibited *The Liberation of Aunt Jemima*, a boxed collage featuring a figurine of a Black woman in a headscarf holding both a broom and a gun. Saar stated that she made the work to empower the Black woman by making her a revolutionary figure rebelling against past enslavement.
• When did Betye Saar live and work?+

  Betye Saar (born Betye Brown) was born in Los Angeles, California, on 30 July 1926^[1]. She is an African-American^[1] artist known for her assemblage, collage, and mixed-media constructions. Saar's work often engages with themes of race, gender, and spirituality; her career began during the Black Arts Movement^[1] of the 1970s. Saar studied at Pasadena City College, then received a BA in Art from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1949. She also did postgraduate work at California State University, Long Beach; the University of Southern California; and California State University, Northridge, during the 1960s. Early in her career, Saar focused on printmaking; she shifted toward assemblage in the late 1960s. Her work incorporates found objects, often imbued with personal or cultural significance. One of her best-known pieces is "The Liberation of Aunt Jemima" (1972), which reclaims a racist caricature. Saar continues to live and work in Los Angeles.
• Where can I see Betye Saar's work?+

  Betye Saar's art has been featured in many institutions. These include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, New York; and the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street in New York. Other American^[1] museums that have displayed her work are the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis; the Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel Street at York Street, New Haven, CT; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Avenue, New York. Outside the United States, Saar's art has been exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queens Park, Toronto.
• Where was Betye Saar from?+

  Betye Saar was born Betye Irene Brown in Los Angeles, California, on 30 July 1926^[1]. Her parents were Jefferson Maze Brown, a skilled tailor, and Beatrice Lillian Parson, a seamstress. Saar spent her childhood moving between Los Angeles; her maternal grandmother's home in Watts; and Pasadena, where she attended junior college. The Watts neighbourhood, and her grandmother's craft skills, were formative influences. She has discussed how her grandmother repurposed discarded items, a practice that later informed Saar's assemblage art. Saar attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), initially planning to study interior design. She later switched to printmaking, earning a BA in 1949. After graduation, she worked as a social worker and continued to develop her artistic skills, exploring printmaking techniques such as etching and aquatint. She married Richard Saar in 1952; they divorced in 1969, but she retained his surname.
• Who did Betye Saar influence?+

  Betye Saar (born 1926^[1]) is an American^[1] assemblage artist. Her childhood hobby of collecting odds and ends became a skill for making art from found objects. Saar's art showed how Black people, and women, are often not treated well. However, many of her artworks also aim to make people smile. In 1970, Saar co-organised the first Black women’s art exhibition in the United States, in her home city. Her enchanting works became part of this exhibition. Saar was inspired by seeing an exhibition of Joseph Cornell's work in 1967. Cornell created boxes filled with various objects that Saar thought looked “jewel-like”. She began creating her own boxes and wooden frames with objects that together told a story. Saar was also influenced by the Watts Towers in Los Angeles, which took 33 years to build out of cement and found objects, such as shells and broken glass.
• Who influenced Betye Saar?+

  Betye Saar's art was shaped by a number of influences. As a child in Los Angeles, she collected discarded items, following the example of her mother. She made these bits and pieces, such as bottle caps and buttons, into dolls and puppets inspired by fairy tales. Saar also found inspiration in the Watts Towers; these structures were made over 33 years from cement and found objects like shells and broken glass. In 1967, Saar saw an exhibition by Joseph Cornell. Cornell's boxes filled with diverse objects struck Saar as 'jewel-like'. She began making her own boxes and wooden frames, arranging objects to tell stories. Saar travelled to countries in Africa and Central America, searching for objects and images to incorporate in her art. Saar married the artist Richard Saar while still a student. In 1970, Saar co-organised the first Black women's art exhibition in the United States, held in Los Angeles.
• Who was Betye Saar?+

  Betye Saar, born in 1926^[1], is an American^[1] assemblage artist. Growing up in Los Angeles, California, she developed a love for collecting found objects, inspired by her mother's resourcefulness and the Watts Towers. These towers, constructed over 33 years from cement and discarded items like shells and broken glass, further fuelled her artistic interests. Saar's early creations included dolls and puppets, influenced by fairy tales. She pursued formal art studies at university. In 1967, an exhibition by Joseph Cornell, featuring boxes filled with objects, spurred her to create her own box constructions and wooden frames incorporating found items to tell stories. While still a student, Saar married artist Richard Saar and had three daughters. Despite the demands of motherhood, she continued to create art, sometimes taking her daughters to lessons. She travelled to Africa and Central America, gathering objects and images for her work. In 1970, Saar co-organised the first Black women's art exhibition in the United States, held in Los Angeles. Her art often addresses the mistreatment of Black people, particularly women, while also aiming to evoke joy.