Betye Saar in her Laurel Canyon studio, Los Angeles, 1970. Photograph by Bob Nakamura, courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects.
Artist: Betye Saar (b. 1926)
Format: Print (future online edition possible)
Publisher: Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California
Date Established: 2016
Publication Date: 2026 (marking the centenary of the artist’s birth)
Scope: Prints, assemblages, collages, works on paper, sketchbooks, films, public projects and other art objects, primarily from the late 1960s to the present. A selection of works from the early years (1930s—1950s) will also be included.
Objects: 400 prints, assemblage, collage, and other mixed media art objects have been catalogued to date. It is anticipated that the catalogue raisonné will include over 1,000 works; 20% prints, 70% assemblages, 5% collages, and 5% other mixed media art objects.
Object Fields: Each work will have at least one image, with listings that will include: CR number, title(s), date, media, edition, dimensions, current collection, past provenance, exhibitions, and bibliographic references.
Supporting Documentation: Full chronology of the artist’s practice, including but not limited to exhibition history (both solo and group participation) and related documents, bibliography, accompanying essays, historical photos and artist statements, texts, and other ephemera.
Database: panOpticon
Organized and Supported by: Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California
Key Staff: Julie Roberts (Project Manager), Mary Skarbek (Database Manager), Siobhan Bradley (Researcher)
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What inspires the catalogue raisonné project?
The initial motivation stemmed from the need to digitize both Betye Saar’s full inventory of existing artworks at her studio and her work ledgers in order to provide access to primary research initiatives into her work. The ledgers begin with the late 1950s and include cataloguing details of individual works—title, year, detailed medium, dimensions, photos, exhibition history, acquisition details—in addition to related exhibitions, press and photos, where applicable.
How has the artist been a resource for the project?
Saar, who is now 93 years old, has been an invaluable resource for our research. In addition to her firsthand knowledge, the artist’s ledgers, calendars, correspondence, slide library, exhibition checklists, and other related documents have all been critical.
Divine Face, 1971. Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. © Betye Saar; Photo Robert Wedemeyer.
How does the ongoing collaboration with the artist give life to the development of the catalogue raisonné?
We have found that Saar’s material archives are so incredibly rich and, as such, have led us in multiple directions of research and scholarship. Recently, Saar located an archival assemblage entitled Divine Face (1971) in her Los Angeles studio. Based on both the artist’s archival material and multiple documented conversations with Saar, we have been able to build out a complete history of the work, including archival photos, provenance, and exhibition history. Saar’s personal input and recollection were vital in that regard. Additionally, based on our many conversations with Saar, we have been able to determine additional historical information pertaining to her use of imagery and symbolism of the physical elements she utilizes in her assemblages, including Divine Face (1971).
How will the evolution of Saar’s body of work be reflected in the catalogue raisonné?
We envision the catalogue raisonné to be divided into three sections focused on themes of her early years (childhood, student, designer, and other artistic endeavors), the development of printmaking, and finally the evolution of her fine art practice.
As an example of her early years, after Saar studied design at UCLA, she opened a design studio with Curtis Tann. Brown and Tann studio produced postcards, greeting cards, posters, and enamelware. As of this date many still exist. Per Saar, these works should be considered artistic endeavors, just as her costume design and other design work, and should be considered for inclusion in the catalogue raisonné.
However, at a certain point, Saar changed her own personal identity from designer to artist. As Saar herself recently noted, “In my head I did differentiate design back then; I thought art was more formal.” This development will be explored in the third section of the catalogue raisonné.
Since works like Black Girl’s Window (1969) and The Liberation of Aunt Jemima (1972) have been so widely cited in publications, how do you determine which citations will be included in the object listings?
That determination is always buoyed through research, effectively stemming from identifying corresponding information, the artist’s ledgers and then reconfirming through additional primary and secondary sources. We are still developing the extent to which we will include these extensive citations, but plan to include as many as possible.
How will the catalogue raisonné approach medium listings in the object entries for the artist’s assemblages?
Saar has generally designated her assemblages as “mixed media assemblages”; this language can be seen as early as 1965.
As a vast majority of the artist’s ledgers include detailed entries listing materials, the inclusion of this primary material would be instrumental in providing firsthand information on individual works.
During the early years of exhibiting her art, Saar has said that shows would be “held on a weekend, maybe at a social club.” What do you look for in deciding whether or not an exhibition is documented to the extent that it would be listed in the catalogue raisonné?
The early years of Saar working as a professional artist were marked by a period of great creative and intellectual activity. That her exhibited works from this time in the early 1960s were outside the parameters of traditional spaces—such as commercial galleries or museums—would not be atypical for that specific time period, nor would her peers have been resistant to accepting outside proposals. We intend to include these presentations as formal exhibitions as that was their intent in their time. In many instances, we have photographic documentation of these exhibitions, and many are noted in the artist’s ledgers.
How have institutional collaborations been valuable for the development of the catalogue raisonné?
In 2016, Fondazione Prada in Milan organized a major retrospective of Saar’s work, the first in Italy. The curators involved were exceedingly generous with their time, resources, and insatiable curiosity fueling their work. In preparation for the exhibition, they conducted in-depth research on the artist’s personal and professional life. Their subsequent exhibition catalogue was non-traditional in that rather than simply highlighting the individual works on view, it focused on every year of the artist’s life with subjects that had a lasting mark on both her personal life and artistic career, including but not limited to the Los Angeles art world, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Women’s Rights Movement. Their independent research into Saar’s archives and practice greatly assisted us with the critical initial phase of the catalogue raisonné.
How have oral histories informed the work of the catalogue raisonné?
We remain indebted to Saar’s excellent memory, and to the support of her family in working in tandem with her throughout this multi-tiered process. We have begun plans to start recording conversations; we feel this raw material of Saar speaking about firsthand experiences will be beneficial in the future. In addition to this, we have collected and will incorporate information from multiple original sources, including UCLA’s 1990 and 1991 oral history interviews with Saar.
How will the catalogue raisonné support the development of the accompanying essays?
We will first conduct interviews with the artist and then commission various scholars, curators, and other institutional practitioners from different sectors to engage with the collected material. An example of this would be how our earlier time spent with the artist organizing her vast print archive introduced the importance of Saar’s print making history, process, numbering and inventory systems, as well as how the ledger entries need formal interpretation.
Given all of the artist’s collections of material that are used for the assemblages, collages, and installations, have there been objects that challenge assumptions of what is and what isn’t a work of art? Will these collections be documented in the catalogue raisonné?
“I love to use materials that are not considered art materials. One sculpture was made with a wall heater (‘Jewel of Ogun’ 1977) which is not considered an art material. I love finding pieces like that. You can make art out of anything even part of a wall heater from a house or an old dress or something used for another purpose recycled to become an art object.” – Betye Saar, May 18, 2020
Saar has always been very clear that once a work is finished, it is signed. To the best of our knowledge, there has only been one instance where a work listed in her ledger was not signed. In this unique case, a careful reading of secondary sources confirmed it was such and was then signed by the artist.
Is there a particular aspect of the catalogue raisonné as an object itself that the artist is looking forward to the most?
The artist remains committed and fully involved with the design of the catalogue raisonné and is currently working in collaboration with the aforementioned team with ideas. One of her initial thoughts includes containing the catalogue raisonné in a clamshell box, thereby transforming the publication into an art object. This would tie into threads of her practice conceptually and formally, extending the box format—an important element in her ritual assemblages beginning in the early 1970s—into a receptacle, or protective enclosure.
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To learn more, visit betyesaarcatalogueraisonne.org or contact the Betye Saar Catalogue Raisonné Project at info@betyesaarcatalogueraisonne.org.
Interview conducted by Carl Schmitz, Director of Communications and Publications