"Keep for Old Memiors"

Betye Saar

1976

An intimate assemblage of printed papers, lace, pressed leaves and fabric sewn and pasted onto a painted frame and anchored by a pair of worn gloves, in which Betye Saar gathers domestic mementos to evoke memory and family intimacy.

At a glance it reads like an opened keepsake book pressed behind glass—the soft sheen of leather gloves, yellowed roses, a small bird vignette and a faded portrait sit beneath layers of lace and thread so that texture and age become as important as the images themselves.

By elevating everyday ephemera and domestic objects into a composed artwork, Saar helped expand assemblage into a feminist, diasporic practice that recovers private histories and challenges what belongs in the museum.

Palette

Art Terms

Assemblage Collage Found object Ephemera Textile Feminist art African diaspora

Exhibitions

Printed Textiles for the Home

1947

Matisse Maquette: The Sheaf

1956

Wall Hangings

1969

Handmade Paper Prints and Unique Works

1976