Betye Saar, Who Turned Black Stereotypes Into Symbols of Resistance, Dies at 99
American artist Betye Saar died peacefully in her sleep at age 99, four days before her 100th birthday, according to a statement from her gallery Roberts Projects. Born in Los Angeles in 1926, Saar became known over a seven-decade career for assemblages that transformed everyday objects into works addressing race, memory, spirituality, and politics. Key works include her first assemblage “Black Girl’s Window” (1969) and “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima” (1972), which reconfigured a racist marketing stereotype into an image of resistance. Saar is survived by her three daughters—Lezley, Alison, and Tracye—six grandchildren, and a pet tortoise.
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This story was covered in Museums Under Fire, Heritage and Heists Collide