Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Betye Saar: Call and Response

  • Tracking Down Our Roots: A Conversation with Ishmael Reed

    Thursday, November 18, 2020, 6:00 PM

    Join novelist, poet, and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Ishmael Reed for a conversation on the empowering role of art as a vehicle for reclaiming elements of African spirituality and culture. Reed has explored this theme in his writing, including in his collaboration with Betye Saar on A Secretary to the Spirits in the 1970s. He is the author of more than thirty titles including the acclaimed novel Mumbo Jumbo, as well as non-fiction, plays, and poetry.

  • 001. A Loss of Innocence

    Betye Saar
    A Loss of Innocence, 1998
    Dress with printed labels, wood hanger, chair, and framed photo on block
    Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. © Betye Saar.
    Photo courtesy Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ, by Tim Lanterman.

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  • 002. Sketchbook pages for A Loss of Innocence

    Betye Saar
    Sketchbook pages for A Loss of Innocence:
    19 April 1996
    Ballpoint pen on paper pasted into sketchbook

    12 December 1997 (facsimile)
    Ballpoint pen on paper

    1 March 1998 (facsimile)
    Marker on paper
    Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. © Betye Saar.
    photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

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  • 003. Eyes of the Beholder

    Betye Saar
    Eyes of the Beholder, 1994
    Paint on metal and wood serving tray, with painted metal baking pan and metal ornaments
    Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. © Betye Saar.
    photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

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  • 004. Memory Window for Anastacia

    Betye Saar
    Memory Window for Anastacia, 1994
    Paint on copper circuit boards in wood window frame, with metal ornaments and copper wire–covered nails
    Private collection, Los Angeles. Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California.© Betye Saar.
    Robert Wedemeyer

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  • 005. Sketchbook pages for Memory Window for Anastacia and Eyes of the Beholder

    Betye Saar
    Sketchbook pages for Memory Window for Anastacia and Eyes of the Beholder, 3 May
    and 6 November 1994
    Watercolor and ballpoint pen on paper
    Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. © Betye Saar.
    photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

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  • 007. Serving Time

    Betye Saar
    Serving Time, 2010
    Metal cage with stand, figures, keys, and locks
    Collection of Neil Lane. Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California.© Betye Saar.
    Robert Wedemeyer

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  • 008. Sketchbook page for Serving Time

    Betye Saar
    Sketchbook page for Serving Time, 24 February 2009 (facsimile)
    Ballpoint pen on paper
    Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. © Betye Saar.
    photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

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  • 009. Sanctuary Awaits

    Betye Saar
    Sanctuary Awaits, 1996
    Wood, glass bottles, metal wire, palm fronds,
    compass, sheet tin, screws, and nails
    Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. © Betye Saar.
    photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

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  • 010. Sketches for Sanctuary Awaits

    Betye Saar
    Sketches for Sanctuary Awaits: 4 May 1996
    Ballpoint pen on paper

    19 June 1996 (facsimile)
    Ballpoint pen on sketchbook page
    Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. © Betye Saar.
    photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

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