Lezley Saar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lezley Saar
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"Forbidden Fruit", 2017
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Lezley Irene Saar
April 13, 1953 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | California State University at Nothridge |
Lezley Irene Saar is an African American artist. Her art explores important ideas like race, gender, and what it means to be a woman. She also looks into her family's history.
Lezley Saar uses many different materials in her art. She creates mixed media pieces, 3-dimensional works, and paintings with oil and acrylic on paper and canvas. Her art often shows elements of "magical realism," which means it mixes real life with fantasy.
Her artworks are shown in many museums. These include The Kemper Museum, the CAAM, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. You can find her art in galleries in Los Angeles and Asia.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Lezley Irene Saar was born in Los Angeles. She grew up in a family of artists. Her mother, Betye Saar, is a famous artist who makes "assemblage" art. This means she puts different objects together to create art. Lezley's father, Richard Saar, was a ceramist and art restorer.
Art was always around Lezley as a child. Her mother's first art studio was their kitchen table! Lezley 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.
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 a radio station called KPFA in Berkeley. She also drew pictures for writers like Ishmael Reed. Lezley earned her college degree from California State University at Northridge in 1978.
Artistic Journey
Lezley Saar started making "altered books" in 1989. These are books she changed into artworks. She got the idea from working with writers and being part of the Bay Area's literary scene. She showed her art in galleries in Los Angeles and New York in the 1990s.
What Her Art Means
Lezley uses found objects, paint, fabric, and photos in her art. Her work often talks about themes like "hybridity," which means mixing different things, and feeling like you belong. Many of her pieces tell stories from African American literature and history.
She once said that she wants her paintings to "suck you in" like a good book. She uses this idea to make her art exciting and engaging.
Family and Inspiration
Lezley's art is inspired by her family of artists. She feels lucky to work alongside her mother, sister, and now her own daughter. This family connection has made her interested in feminism, African American history, and having a mixed-race identity.
In 2020, Lezley had an exhibition called "A Conjuring of Conjurers." This show explored how complex identity can be. She said the exhibition felt like "seven shrines." These were sacred places where visitors could connect with spirits from the past, present, and future.
Awards and Recognition
Lezley Saar has received several awards for her art. These include:
- The California State Senate Contemporary Art Collection award (2000)
- The J. Paul Getty Mid-Career Grant (1996)
- The Seagram’s Gin Perspective in African American Art Fellowship (1995)
Exhibitions
Lezley Saar's art has been shown in many places. Here are some of her exhibitions:
- 1990 "Altered Books," Art Works, Los Angeles, CA
- 1991 "Altar(ed) Books," Koplin Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
- 1997 "New Work," David Beitzel Gallery, New York, NY
- 2000 "Works by Alison and Leslie Saar," Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, Claremont, CA
- 2003 "Anomalies," Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
- 2007 "Family Legacies: The Art of Betye, Lezley & Alison Saar," Palmer Art Museum, University Park, PA
- 2017 "Salon des Refusés," California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA
- 2020 "A Conjuring of Conjurers," Walter Maciel Gallery, Culver City, CA
