Betye Saar, pioneering figure of Black arts movement, dies at 99
Betye Saar, a pioneering artist and key figure in the Black arts movement, has passed away at the age of 99. She was widely celebrated for her assemblage art that reclaimed and critiqued historical racial stereotypes.
Why it matters
Saar's work was instrumental in challenging cultural depictions of Black Americans and remains a significant influence in contemporary art history.
Betye Saar on her patio at home in Los Angeles in this 2016 picture. Photograph: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/AP Betye Saar on her patio at home in Los Angeles in this 2016 picture. Photograph: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/AP Art and design Betye Saar, pioneering figure of Black arts movement, dies at 99 Leading assemblage artist was known for reclaiming Jim Crow-era memorabilia as images of Black liberation
Prefer the Guardian on Google Artist Betye Saar, the pioneering figure of the Black arts movement, died on Sunday morning in her home town of Los Angeles. She was 99.
“Her symbolically rich body of work has evolved over time to demonstrate the environmental, cultural, political, racial, technological, economic, and historical context in which it exists,” according to Roberts Projects, the Los Angeles gallery that represents her.
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