Lezley Saar facts for kids

Lezley Irene Saar is an African American artist. Her art explores important ideas about race, gender, and what it means to be a woman. She also looks into her family's history. Lezley creates art using many different materials. She makes 3-dimensional pieces, and also paintings with oil and acrylic on paper and canvas.

Through her art, Lezley explores ideas of beauty from different cultures. She also looks at how women think and feel, and ideas about spirituality. Many of her artworks have a magical, dream-like quality. Her art has been shown in many places across the U.S. and around the world. You can find her work in famous museums like The Kemper Museum and the California African American Museum. She is currently represented by Walter Maciel Gallery in Los Angeles.

Early Life and Education

Lezley Irene Saar was born in Los Angeles into a family of artists. Her mother, Betye Saar, is a famous African-American artist who creates "assemblage" art. This means she puts together different objects to make a new artwork. Lezley's father, Richard Saar, was a ceramist and art restorer.

Lezley grew up surrounded by art. Her mother's first art studio was even their kitchen table! She has two sisters, Alison Saar, who is also a visual artist, and Tracye Saar, a writer. Sometimes, Lezley and Alison work together on art projects when they have similar ideas.

In 1972, Lezley studied photography in Paris, France. This experience helped her learn how to use portraits in her art. She continued her studies in 1976 at San Francisco State University. To support her art, she worked at KPFA radio in Berkeley, California. She also created drawings for writers like Ishmael Reed. Lezley earned her college degree from California State University at Northridge in 1978.

Artistic Journey and Themes

Lezley Saar began creating "altered books" in 1989. She was inspired by her work with writer Ishmael Reed and the literary scene in the Bay Area. She started making these unique books when she was pregnant with her first child. Her art was shown in galleries in Los Angeles and New York in the 1990s.

Lezley uses many different materials in her art. These include found objects, oil paint, acrylic paint, fabric, and photographs. Her work often talks about themes like "hybridity," which means being a mix of different things. It also explores ideas of acceptance and belonging. Many of her artworks tell stories about African American literature and important historical figures. Lezley once said that she wants her paintings to "suck you in" like a really good book. She uses this idea to create her art.

Growing up in a family of artists has greatly inspired Lezley's work. She feels it is a special privilege to work alongside her mother, sister, and now her own daughter. This family connection has fueled her interest in feminism, African American history, and what it means to have a biracial identity.

In 2020, Lezley had an exhibition called "A Conjuring of Conjurers." This show featured artworks that explored the many layers of identity. She described the exhibition as a series of "shrines." These are like sacred places where visitors can connect with spirits from the past, present, and future.

Lezley Saar has received several awards for her art. These include the California State Senate Contemporary Art Collection award in 2000. She also received the J. Paul Getty Mid-Career Grant in 1996.

Exhibitions

Lezley Saar's art has been featured in many exhibitions. Here are some of them:

• 1990 "Altered Books," Art Works, Los Angeles, CA
• 1991 "Altar(ed) Books," Koplin Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
• 1993 "The Athenaeum," Koplin Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
• 1994 "The Athenaeum II," Mesa College, San Diego, CA
• 1994 "Recent Work", Jan Baum Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• 1997 New Work, David Beitzel Gallery, New York, NY
• 1999 "Anomalies", Fresno Museum of Art, Fresno, CA
• 2000 "Works by Alison and Leslie Saar", Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, Claremont, CA
• 2000 "Africans, Tragic Mulattos, Anomalies and Rap" David Beitzel Gallery, NY
• 2000 "Africans, Rap Thugs-n-Dimes", The Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH, traveled to the Saint Louis Museum, St. Louis, MO
• 2000 "Paradox of the Unexpected Hanging", Jan Baum Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• 2003 "Anomalies", Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
• 2003 "Encyclopedia Exotica", David Beitzel Gallery, New York, NY
• 2003 "Africans, Rap Thugs-n-Dimes", Forum for Contemporary Art, St. Louis, MO
• 2003 "Mulatto Nation", List Gallery, Swarthmore College, PA
• 2003 "Mulatto Nation", Jan Baum Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• 2004 "Recent Work," Kravets/Wehby Gallery, New York, NY
• 2004 "The Secret Self", Sawhill Gallery, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
• 2005 "Family Legacies", Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, NC
• 2007 "Tooth Hut", Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• 2007 "Family Legacies: The Art of Betye, Lezley & Alison Saar", Palmer Art Museum, University Park, PA
• 2007 "Family Legacies", Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA and San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
• 2010 "Autist’s Fables", Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• 2012 "Madwoman in the Attic", Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• 2014 "Monad", Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• 2017 "Salon des Refusés", California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA
• 2017 "Gender Renaissance", Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• 2018 "Betye, Alison, and Lezley Saar", MOAH, Lancaster, CA
• 2020 "A Conjuring of Conjurers", Walter Maciel Gallery, Culver City, CA