Betye Saar passed away at 99.
The LA artist wove memory, race and spirituality in her work.
The art gallery that represents her broke the news of her death.
Betye Saar, Pioneering Black Artist, Dead At 99
Over a career that stretched over seven decades, the artist transmuted everyday objects into striking reflections on race, memory, and mysticism.
Summary
LA artist Betye Saar, best known for her assemblages weaving race, magic, and memory, died yesterday morning, just four days shy of her 100th birthday.
Saar died in her sleep on Sunday in Los Angeles, according to Roberts Project, the local gallery that represented her. “A pioneering artist and a leading figure in the assemblage movement, Betye Saar will be remembered for a body of work that powerfully interrogated African American identity, spirituality and the intersections between diverse cultures,” the gallery said.
Betye Saar's Artistic Journey
“Emerging as a vital voice during the Black Arts Movement and second-wave feminism of the late 1960s and 1970s, Saar utilized found objects, family heirlooms and vintage ephemera to explore themes of race, gender and historical memory. Her practice transformed everyday items into groundbreaking artworks and installations, cementing her legacy as one of the most influential artists of our time.”
In 1958, after a decade in social work, Saar studied design, at California State University, Long Beach; the University of Southern California; and California State University. She grew up in Pasadena and was part of a community of Black artists in nearby Altadena; she often cited Simon Rodia's Watts Towers as an early source of inspiration.
A printmaking elective marked her entry into fine art. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Saar’s work took on more political overtones. In 1972, she responded to an open call for a show of art inspired by Black superheroes at the Rainbow Sign in Berkeley with her renowned piece, The Liberation of Aunt Jemima. Another acclaimed work, 1969’s Black Girl’s Window, framed an old window frame as a structural device to blend autobiographical elements with mysticism and racial identity.
She bred an artistic dynasty. “Art was always just part of our natural environment,” Saar told Harper’s Bazaar in a 2021 conversation with her daughters. “It was never about making a commitment and saying, ‘I want to be an artist.’ It just seemed to be a kind of organic unfolding, of being involved with making things.”
In spring 2026, Saar was inducted to the American Academy of Arts and Lette.
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