Each time I pass the statue of Harriet Tubman at the intersection of St. Nicholas and 123rd Street, I think of Betye Saar because the monument to the great abolitionist and freedom fighter was created by her daughter, Alison. That old expression about the fruit never falling far from the tree has real currency with the Saar family, and I thought of the matriarch again this week, when news came that Betye had died at 99.
According to several sources, Saar, best known for her imaginative assemblages, died peacefully in her sleep in Los Angeles on July 26, just four days shy of her 100th birthday. She is remembered too for how her art was transformative, converting the negative images of Black Americans into positive, powerful spiritual impressions of family histories and progressive visions.
A consistent theme in her works was the way she assailed racism and upended demeaning stereotypes — always with an artistic flourish so characteristic of her stylish love and passion for Black people. Centering her innovative creativity on assemblages that were mainly derived from her early childhood watching the erection of Simon Rodia’s “Watts Towers,” she recalled being fascinated by Rodia’s use of broken dishes, sea shells, rusty tools, and other found objects. “To me,” she exclaimed, “they were magical.”
Portrait of Betye Saar, from the 1989 Site Installations exhibition poster. (Public domain photo) 
Betye Saar (b. 1926), Hoo Doo Woman, 1974. Mixed fabrics with metal jewelry, leather, and beads. The New York Historical, promised gift of Betye Saar. (Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects Los Angeles, California. Photo: Robert Wedemeyer) 
Betye Saar (b. 1926) A Secretary to the Spirits [for Ishmael Reed] series, 1975–78 mixed-media collage © Betye Saar. (Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California) 
Betye Saar (b. 1926) House of Tarot, 1966, The Museum of Modern Art, New York © Betye Saar. (Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA Art Resource, NY)
Complementing these early inspirations were the sites she witnessed during visits to the Field Museum in Chicago, particularly seeing the expansive and exquisite displays of Oceanic and Egyptian art. Emerging from her first creations were elements of her mixed heritage, aspects of her African American, Native American and Irish ancestry.
Betye Saar was born Betye Irene Brown on July 30, 1926 to Jefferson Maze Brown and Beatrice Lillian Parson in Los Angeles, where she spent early years before moving to the Watts section after her father’s death in 1931. Subsequently, she moved to Pasadena to live with her great aunt and her husband, Robert E. Keys, although it was her aunt, Hattie, who raised her and to whom she dedicated “Record For Hattie,”one of her most significant works. She began creating and repairing found objects and attending classes at Pasadena City College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in design in 1947.
At several California colleges and the American Film Institute, she pursued graduate studies, and she also married Richard Saar. They had three daughters — Tracye, Alison and Lezley — all of them blessed with their mother’s artistic creativity.
Given her productive longevity as an artist, it’s worth noting that her “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima,” was inspired by a derogatory “mammy” memo-pad holder she found during one of her many trips scouring flea markets. One of the striking aspects of the work, which at first seems to be a painting but in fact is a three-dimensional piece, is the figure holding a white baby, bracketed by a broom on one side and a rifle on the other. It would not be surprising to see her step from the box and start marching alongside Alison’s Harriet Tubman.
Right up until the end of her life, Betye was a tireless creator, and the accumulation of awards and honorary doctorates are a testament to an artist who Angela Davis said helped launch the Black Women’s Movement.
If you hurry, you can still catch some of her works at two museums in Manhattan. “Betye Saar’s Black Dolls,” now on display at The New York Historical, is yet another facet of her boundless energy and interest in preserving some precious items of African American history. Her work is also included in the “Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions” exhibit at the Morgan Library & Museum. Both exhibitions are currently running until Oct. 4 of this year.
