Image Courtesy: Google Doodle
Ruth Asawa (24 January 1926 – 5 August 2013) was an American modernist sculptor. Her work is featured in collections at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
Life and Career
Ruth Asawa was an American artist and sculptor born on 24 January 1926, in Norwalk, California. She was the fourth of seven children born to Japanese immigrants. During World War II, Asawa and her family were forced to live in internment camps for Japanese Americans. Despite these hardships, Asawa continued her education and eventually earned a degree from the Black Mountain College in North Carolina.
Asawa’s sculptures were known for their intricate and delicate wirework, often resembling woven baskets. She was also known for her public art installations, including fountains and large-scale sculptures. Asawa’s work has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries throughout the United States, and she was the subject of a major retrospective at the de Young Museum in San Francisco in 2006.
Asawa passed away on 6 August 2013, at the age of 87 in San Francisco, California.
Award and Legacy
Asawa was the recipient of numerous awards throughout her career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1959 and the National Medal of Arts in 1998.
Asawa’s work continues to be celebrated and exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. Her legacy includes the establishment of the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, which offers students a rigorous arts education in a variety of disciplines.
On 1 May 2019, Google celebrated Ruth Asawa with a doodle.
FAQ on Ruth Asawa
Asawa was known for her intricate and delicate wirework, often resembling woven baskets.
Some of Asawa’s most notable works include the fountains at the Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco and the Japanese American Internment Memorial Sculpture in San Jose, California.
The Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts is a public high school in San Francisco that offers students a rigorous arts education in a variety of disciplines.
Asawa received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1959 and the National Medal of Arts in 1998.
Asawa’s work can be seen in museums and galleries around the world, including the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.