Constellations: Celebrating the Legacies of Betye Saar
May 9 - September 13, 2026
Barbara and Lee Maimon Teaching Gallery | Level 2
In 1996, the Palmer Museum of Art mounted a groundbreaking installation by Los Angeles-based artist Betye Saar. Titled Tangled Roots, the exhibition explored Saar’s mixed-race identity, her signature repurposing of found objects, and her commitment to seeking the spiritual connections that unite all humankind.
Thirty years later, the Palmer is honoring the artist’s 100th birthday with an intimate show exploring the constellation of legacies inspired by her work. The centerpiece is Saar’s formative Vision of El Cremo (1967), a mixed-media assemblage acquired by the museum in the wake of the 1996 exhibition. In the decades since that important acquisition, Palmer staff have made a concerted effort to add works by underrepresented artists to the museum’s holdings. Drawn largely from the permanent collection, the exhibition celebrates the legacies of family, art, cosmology, and cultural heritage.
Artists represented in the exhibition include Betye Saar, Alison Saar, Lezley Saar, Linda Stein, Louise Nevelson, Marc Petrovic, Avel de Knight, Radcliffe Bailey, Kara Walker, Romare Bearden, Whitfield Lovell, Vanessa German, Sam Gilliam, and John Nathaniel Robinson.
Constellations: Celebrating the Legacies of Betye Saar was curated by Assistant Director Joyce Robinson with contributions by museum colleagues, graduate assistants, undergraduate interns, and invited guests.
Organized by the Palmer Museum of Art.
Betye Saar passed away on July 26, a few days before her 100th birthday. We are glad to have organized this special exhibition in honor of Betye’s storied life and impactful legacy. In lieu of birthday notes, we invite visitors to the exhibition to leave messages of condolence for the artist’s daughters: Lezley, Alison, and Tracye.
Betye Saar in Los Angeles (2026), photo by David Sprague, courtesy Roberts Projects.