Foreword by Julie Roberts. Text by Rachel Federman, Katherine Jentleson. Interview by Maddy Inez Leeser.
An investigation into Saar's lifelong interest in Black dolls, with new watercolors, historic assemblages, sketchbooks and a selection of Black dolls from the artist’s collection
This volume features new watercolor works on paper and assemblages by Betye Saar (born 1926) that incorporate the artist’s personal collection of Black dolls. These watercolors showcase the artist’s experimentation with vivid color and layered techniques, and her new interest in flat shapes. While Saar has previously used painting in her mixed-media collages, this is the first publication to focus on her watercolor works on paper. “Watercolor is something that children use, so I decided, maybe I’ll paint something about children, maybe I’ll paint the dolls,” Saar says. Referencing the underrepresented history of Black dolls through Saar’s artistic lens, this catalog distills several intersecting themes, imagery and objects in Saar’s oeuvre, highlighting her prominent usage and reinvention of Black imagery. It contains 90 color images, including early assemblage works that feature Black dolls, such as Gris-Gris Box (1972) and Mti (1973), plus early sketchbooks and a curated selection of Saar’s Black doll collection. It also includes original essays by Rachel Federman, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Drawings at the Morgan Library & Museum, and Katherine Jentleson, Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art at the High Museum of Art, and an interview with the artist by her granddaughter, Maddy Inez Leeser.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Betye Saar: Black Doll Blues.'
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Featured spreads are from Roberts Projects' highly anticipated Betye Saar: Black Doll Blues, presenting the inimitable nonagenarian's collection of Black dolls, alongside recent watercolors of the dolls, historic assemblages, sketchbooks and a pop-out cardboard doll modeled after Saar’s "Hoo Doo Woman" (1974)—the only doll in Saar's collection that she hand-made herself. "During the 2020 pandemic quarantine, I began creating watercolor paintings of the Black dolls from my collection," Saar is quoted. "I’ve always used watercolors for my sketchbooks, especially when I travel. I love the freedom of watercolor as a medium, and the rich, saturated, bright colors lend themselves well to depicting the clothing of the dolls. As I painted my dolls, I drew comfort from touching them, arranging them, tidying their skirts and jackets. It was fun. And perhaps on some level, it was a way to keep me feeling safe during the lockdown. Essentially, I was playing with my dolls."
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FORMAT: Hbk, 9 x 12 in. / 223 pgs / 178 color / 9 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $60.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $82 GBP £48.00 ISBN: 9781733664769 PUBLISHER: Roberts Projects AVAILABLE: 11/1/2022 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Published by Roberts Projects. Foreword by Julie Roberts. Text by Rachel Federman, Katherine Jentleson. Interview by Maddy Inez Leeser.
An investigation into Saar's lifelong interest in Black dolls, with new watercolors, historic assemblages, sketchbooks and a selection of Black dolls from the artist’s collection
This volume features new watercolor works on paper and assemblages by Betye Saar (born 1926) that incorporate the artist’s personal collection of Black dolls. These watercolors showcase the artist’s experimentation with vivid color and layered techniques, and her new interest in flat shapes. While Saar has previously used painting in her mixed-media collages, this is the first publication to focus on her watercolor works on paper.
“Watercolor is something that children use, so I decided, maybe I’ll paint something about children, maybe I’ll paint the dolls,” Saar says. Referencing the underrepresented history of Black dolls through Saar’s artistic lens, this catalog distills several intersecting themes, imagery and objects in Saar’s oeuvre, highlighting her prominent usage and reinvention of Black imagery. It contains 90 color images, including early assemblage works that feature Black dolls, such as Gris-Gris Box (1972) and Mti (1973), plus early sketchbooks and a curated selection of Saar’s Black doll collection. It also includes original essays by Rachel Federman, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Drawings at the Morgan Library & Museum, and Katherine Jentleson, Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art at the High Museum of Art, and an interview with the artist by her granddaughter, Maddy Inez Leeser.
