Tobacco Road Acoustic featuring the original music of Carla R.

07/29/2026

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07/29/2026

Bertie County North Carolina: The first in a 3 part series, highlighting the original native home of my family (Smallwoods and Rascoes), beginning all the wa...

07/29/2026

07/29/2026

The Studio Museum in Harlem mourns the passing of artist Betye Saar (1926–2026), one of contemporary art’s most celebrated storytellers and a pioneer of assemblage. For over six decades, Saar created deeply influential works that draw on memory, race, spirituality, and found objects to illuminate hidden histories.

Through her mixed-media practice, Saar reframed racist representations of Black people and reflected on the political and spiritual nature of cultural and personal objects such as washboards, familial photographs, and images of minstrel caricatures. Her practice redefined ideas of domesticity and Black feminism in contemporary art.

Saar’s deep relationship with the Studio Museum spans nearly fifty years. The Museum mounted a solo exhibition, “Rituals: Betye Saar,” in 1980, and her works have been in multiple group exhibitions, such as “California Black Artists” (1977) and “From Now: A Collection in Context” (2025–26). “Indigo Mercy” (1975), from the Studio Museum’s collection, is currently on view at The New York Historical through October 4, 2026.

The impact of Saar's artistic practice continues to shape contemporary art today. The Studio Museum honors Betye Saar’s visionary practice and profound place in our institution’s history. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her daughters, Lezley Saar, Alison Saar, Tracye Saar-Cavanaugh, family, and friends.

Image credit:

Betye Saar, 2025. Courtesy the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles. Photo: Tracye Saar-Cavanaugh