The History of Disability in Art - Bowdoin College Museum of Art

The History of Disability in Art

Alison Saar

American (Los Angeles, California, 1956)

Alison Saar is a sculptor, mixed media, and installation artist. She is also the daughter of artist Betye Saar and ceramicist Richard Saar. Saar worked with her father as a conservator for eight years, where she learned how to carve and was exposed to internationally diverse aesthetics and materials. Saar’s work developed into an exploration of cosmological narratives that intertwined her African and Afro-Caribbean heritage which references themes of African cultural diaspora and identity. Her work challenges and reclaims social and cultural representations of race, gender, humanity, and spirituality. Grappling with the collective and personal experience, she incorporates objects such as nails, pieces of pottery, glass, wood, and metal scraps to build and expand upon social, historical, and cultural experience.

Blue Plate Special, 1993

ALISON SAAR (American, born 1956), Blue Plate Special, 1993, lithograph, etching and chine collé, 29 1/8 in. x 28 3/4 in. x 24 1/2 in. (73.98 cm x 73.03 cm x 62.23 cm), Anonymous Gift and Museum Purchase, Art Collections Purchase Fund, 1994.3. © Alison Saar. Courtesy of L.A. Louver, Venice, CA

Alison Saar (American, born 1956)

lithograph, etching and chine collé

29 1/8 in. x 28 3/4 in. x 24 1/2 in. (73.98 cm x 73.03 cm x 62.23 cm)

Anonymous Gift and Museum Purchase, Art Collections Purchase Fund, 1994.3. © Alison Saar. Courtesy of L.A. Louver, Venice, CA

In Blue Plate Special, artist Alison Saar presents a plated decapitated head situated on a table. The print shows the head of John the Baptist following his execution at the request of Salome’s mother. Saar returns to the subject of Salome several times in sculpture and print, always representing Salome as a powerful woman in command. Saar turns to religious, mythological, and folk sources in her works to offer reflections on cultural issues that impact African Americans. However, it is often left to the viewer to make the connection between form and symbolism. Perhaps by coding the decapitated head as African American – through the darkened skin tone and hair style – and the use of the phrase “Blue Plate Special” – referencing the low-priced meals available in American diners – one is also meant to interpret this work as a commentary on the violence and undervaluing of Black people and their bodies.

Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine

Bowdoin College Museum of Art