A lifelong collector who assembled found objects into poetic constellations of meaning, American artist Betye Saar emerged as a prominent force in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and ‘70s, creating powerful works that questioned their own cultural, political, and historical context. Born in Los Angeles in 1926 and raised in Pasadena, until her recent passing at 99, the California artist used her six-decade-spanning practice to reflect on African American identity, addressing themes of racial oppression, mysticism, the occult, family, and memory, while reframing symbols of Jim Crow-era America as radical statements of Black liberation
– Kyle Provencio Reingold
In an excerpt from the short documentary Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight, produced by The Huntington, director Kyle Provencio Reingold moves beyond the public mythology of the artist to reveal the quieter spaces between her remarkable career and personal realm, in moments of reflection on her life as an artist, mother, grandmother, and gatherer of objects. Connecting recent works with archival reflections, the film seeks to experience the world as Betye did, where history resides in everyday objects, spirituality emerges through careful observation, and storytelling becomes an act of preservation.
Let’s Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar is on view at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles until 22 August 2026.
