Contributing Artists

Lezley Saar is a mixed-media artist and painter. Her artwork deals with themes of identity, race, gender, beauty, normalcy, and sanity. Daughter of influential African American artist Betye Saar, her work exhibits a diverse range, from collages to installation pieces. Throughout her work, Saar explores notions of femininity, spirituality, and power. She has exhibited internationally, and nationally, and her work is included in museum collections such as The Kemper Museum, CAAM, The Ackland Art Museum, and MOCA. She is currently represented by Walter Maciel Gallery in Los Angeles.

Combining found objects, paint, and fabric, Saar’s work comments on themes of “hybridity, acceptance, and belonging.” Saar’s work is narrative, often inspired by literature or historical figures. She stated, “I like the idea of a painting sucking you in like when you really get sucked in by a good book…I use that kind of metaphor as a vehicle for doing my art.”

Saar is the recipient of the California State Senate Contemporary Art Collection award (2000), the J. Paul Getty Mid-Career Grant (1996), and the Seagram’s Gin Perspective in African American Art Fellowship (1995). 

lezley-saar.com // @lezleysaar

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