"Keep for Old Memiors"
Betye Saar
American, born 1926
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.
Medium
Pencil on paper, printed papers, and printed fabric sewn and pasted on fabric with lace, leaves, and feathers, mounted on painted frame with gloves
Dimensions
15 1/2 x 13" (39.4 x 33 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder
Accession
57.2013
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
