How Betye Saar Came to Be
Roberts Projects in Los Angeles mounted a centennial exhibition exploring the early career of prolific assemblage artist Betye Saar, who passed away shortly before the show’s opening. The retrospective, comprising over 200 archival objects, traces Saar’s foundational work across costume design, textiles, jewelry, photography, and drawing—disciplines that preceded her internationally recognized mixed-media practice. Early pieces include costume and set designs for a 1970 production of Antigone at the Inner City Cultural Center, where Saar’s wallpaper work marked her initial engagement with collage and found materials. The exhibition documents her methodology of repurposing secondhand clothing and scrap materials into theatrical and wearable pieces, revealing how her signature assemblage aesthetic emerged through experimentation with material juxtaposition. Domestic creations for her daughters and contributions to the Renaissance Pleasure Faire are also featured, demonstrating Saar’s sustained engagement with craft, transformation, and the politics of everyday objects across seven decades of artistic practice.
Original article published on Hyperallergic — AI-generated summary. Visit the website to read the full article at the source. Image via Hyperallergic.
