Renowned Black Art Pioneer Betye Saar Dies at Age 99 in Los Angeles

Betye Saar, a central voice of the 1960s Black Art Movement, died Sunday morning in Los Angeles at the age of 99, just shy of her centennial. Relatives confirmed the news, noting that she had remained artistically active into her nineties after switching from design to art at 35. Saar pioneered assemblage, turning found objects and racist memorabilia into striking statements of Black empowerment, with works like “Black Girl’s Window” and the 1972 “Liberation of Aunt Jemima” gaining iconic status.

Though early exhibitions were limited, her pieces later entered the collections of MoMA, LACMA and the Whitney Museum, and she was honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters in spring 2026. A recent documentary, “Betye Saar: Ready to Be A Warrior,” features interviews with John Legend and Tina Knowles, while a new show on her wearable art runs at the Roberts Project gallery. Saar also mentored younger Black artists, including Kerry James Marshall, leaving a lasting imprint on the West Coast art scene.