As Betye Saar approaches her 100th birthday on July 30, she remains as active and creative as ever. In her Laurel Canyon home, where she has lived since 1962, Saar spends her mornings filling sketchbooks with watercolors, a practice she has maintained for over seven decades. Her work is a testament to her enduring passion for art and her unique ability to transform ordinary objects into powerful statements.
Saar’s studio is a treasure trove of collected items from around the world, each with its own story. From antique globes to rusted bird cages, her materials are as diverse as the symbols she uses in her art—stars, moons, eyes, and hands. These elements come together in her assemblages, which are held in the permanent collections of over 60 museums. Her work is not just about aesthetics; it’s about confronting social realities and exploring the mystical.
From Childhood Inspirations to Artistic Innovations
Saar’s journey as an artist began in her childhood. Growing up in Los Angeles, she was inspired by the Watts Towers and the Romani communities in Pasadena. These early experiences shaped her interest in the unknown and the mystical, which she later incorporated into her art. Her work evolved to confront racist advertising and the long shadow of slavery, using symbolic language to challenge societal norms.
The mystical elements of Saar’s work are deeply intertwined with the social realities of midcentury Los Angeles. She grew up in a partially segregated city and came of age in a society where Black women were expected to find practical work, not become artists. The Watts Rebellion and the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. further sharpened the political force of her vision. Saar’s art became a means of confronting and challenging these realities.
The Legacy of Betye Saar
Since the late 1960s, Saar has transformed washboards, dolls, clocks, family photographs, and other salvaged materials into emotionally charged assemblages. Her work is held in the permanent collections of over 60 museums, a testament to her enduring influence on American art. Curator Zoé Whitley notes that Saar is one of the few who redefined what was once a very narrow definition of American art.
Family and close friends have taken on the task of digitizing Saar’s expansive archive, which includes correspondence, sketches, playbills, documents, and ephemera. These materials reveal an artist whose creations all flowed from the same restless imagination. From costume design to book and album covers, Saar’s work is a testament to her versatility and creativity.
Saar’s influence extends beyond her art. Her daughters, Alison, Lezley, and Tracye, have all become accomplished artists and writers in their own right. The actor CCH Pounder, Saar’s longtime friend and travel companion, attributes Saar’s ability to manage her family, home, and artistic career to her compulsive will toward creation. Saar’s legacy is not just in her art but also in the lives she has touched and inspired.
As Saar continues to create art in her Los Angeles home, she remains a beacon of inspiration for artists and art lovers alike. Her work is a testament to the power of art to confront social realities and explore the mystical, a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations.
