Artist Betye Saar, whose work reflects Black identity, dies at 99
- Betye Saar died Sunday morning in Los Angeles at 99; she would have turned 100 this week.
- A central figure of the 1960s Black Art Movement, Saar pioneered assemblage boxes using found objects and reclaimed Jim Crow-era memorabilia as symbols of Black liberation.
- Her 1972 work "The Liberation of Aunt Jemima," featuring a mammy figure holding a rifle and grenade, is considered one of her most important pieces.
- Saar began her career in design and shifted to art at age 35, continuing to create work into her 90s.
- In spring 2026, Saar was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art and MoMA mounted concurrent solo shows of her work in 2019.
Artist Betye Saar, a pioneering figure in the 1960s Black Art Movement known for assemblage works reflecting Black identity, culture and spirituality, died Sunday morning in Los Angeles at the age of 99. Her death was confirmed Monday by relatives. She would have turned 100 this week.
Saar grew up in Pasadena, California, and began her career in design before shifting to art at age 35. She continued creating work into her 90s. Her practice incorporated painting, printmaking, sculpture and found objects including dolls, washboards and antiques. She often cited Simon Rodia's Watts Towers as an early source of inspiration.
Among her most celebrated works is "The Liberation of Aunt Jemima" (1972), which reclaimed racist memorabilia by transforming a mammy figure into a revolutionary holding a rifle and grenade. The piece was created in response to the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Her 1969 work "Black Girl's Window" was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2019.
Though Saar had a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1975, major institutional recognition came sporadically in the decades that followed. In 2019, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and MoMA mounted concurrent solo exhibitions of her work. In spring 2026, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Saar taught and mentored generations of Black artists, including painter Kerry James Marshall.
反映黑人身份认同的艺术家贝蒂·萨尔去世，享年99岁
1960年代黑人艺术运动的先驱人物贝蒂·萨尔周日上午在洛杉矶去世，享年99岁。她的亲属周一确认了这一消息。本周她即将迎来100岁生日。萨尔以反映黑人身份认同、文化和精神信仰的组合艺术作品闻名。
萨尔在加利福尼亚州帕萨迪纳长大，最初从事设计工作，35岁时转向艺术创作，并一直创作到90多岁。她的创作涵盖绘画、版画、雕塑及现成物品，包括玩偶、搓衣板和各种古董。她常提到西蒙·罗迪亚的瓦茨塔是她早期的灵感来源。
她最著名的作品之一是1972年创作的《杰迈玛姑妈的解放》，该作品将带有种族歧视色彩的纪念品重新诠释，将黑人女仆形象转变为手持步枪和手榴弹的革命者。这件作品是对1968年马丁·路德·金遇刺事件的回应。她1969年的作品《黑人女孩的窗户》于2019年被纽约现代艺术博物馆收藏。
尽管萨尔1975年曾在惠特尼美国艺术博物馆举办个展，但此后数十年间大型机构对她的展出并不频繁。2019年，洛杉矶郡艺术博物馆和纽约现代艺术博物馆同时为她举办个展。2026年春季，她被选入美国艺术与文学学院。萨尔培养和指导了数代黑人艺术家，其中包括画家凯里·詹姆斯·马歇尔。