Explained: Artist Betye Saar, whose work reflects Black identity, dies at 99

Artist Betye Saar died Sunday morning in Los Angeles at age 99.

assemblage boxes

Sculptures made of found objects, a technique Saar pioneered.

Black Art Movement

A 1960s artistic movement centered on Black identity and culture, of which Saar was a central figure.

mammy

A 19th century minstrel character depicting a Black woman who smiled while serving white slave owners.

Jim Crow-era memorabilia

Objects from the era of racial segregation laws that Saar reclaimed as symbols of Black liberation.