Index Magazine

Art Talk: Ruth Asawa’s Student Exercises from Black Mountain College

December 9, 2020
Index Magazine

Art Talk: Ruth Asawa’s Student Exercises from Black Mountain College

This photograph shows on a gray gallery wall a black-framed collage in the right half of the image. The collage depicts several orange and red biomorphic shapes, some of which are filled in and some outlined, against a blue background. The collage is bordered by red paper, and the mat is white. The remainder of gallery at left appears out of focus.
Ruth Asawa, American, Untitled (BMC.121, Exercise in color vibration and figure background that resembles Asawa’s later biomorphic looped sculptural form), 1948–49. Collage of cut colored paper on paper prepared with opaque watercolor on orange wove paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Josef Albers, BR49.407. © 2020 Estate of Ruth Asawa/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Caitlin Cunningham Photography.

Join Bridget Hinz as she takes a closer look at the works on paper that artist Ruth Asawa created when a student at Black Mountain College. Examining these early works, Hinz shows how Asawa profoundly understood the lessons of her teacher Josef Albers, but also how she made work that was decidedly her own.

This video is part of our Art Talk series, in which our team of curators, conservators, fellows, and graduate students shares short, informal videos that offer an up-close look at works from our collections. 

Led by: 
Bridget Hinz, Curatorial Assistant for Special Exhibitions and Publications, Division of Modern and Contemporary Art

Works explored:
Howard Dearstyne, American, Student exercises for Josef Albers’s preliminary course, 1928–29. Gelatin silver prints. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Howard Dearstyne, BR50.46, BR50.40. 

Ruth Asawa, American, Untitled (BMC.124, Meander black and red), 1946–49. Black and red ink with graphite on tracing paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Josef Albers, BR49.387. © 2020 Estate of Ruth Asawa/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. 

Ruth Asawa, American, Untitled (BMC.128, Study of triangles), 1946–49. Black and purple inks with traces of graphite on tracing paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Josef Albers, BR49.386. © 2020 Estate of Ruth Asawa/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. 

Ruth Asawa, American, Untitled (BMC.120, Double-sheet stamp on newsprint), 1946–49. Black stamped ink on newspaper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Josef Albers, BR49.391. © 2020 Estate of Ruth Asawa/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Ruth Asawa, American, Untitled (BMC.121, Exercise in color vibration and figure background that resembles Asawa’s later biomorphic looped sculptural form), 1948–49. Collage of cut colored paper on paper prepared with opaque watercolor on orange wove paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Josef Albers, BR49.407. © 2020 Estate of Ruth Asawa/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. 

Ruth Asawa, American, Untitled (BMC.118, Gold/brown leaves on brown background), 1946–49. Collage of leaves and metallic strip on wove paper prepared with glossy opaque brown paint. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Josef Albers, BR49.417. © 2020 Estate of Ruth Asawa/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.  

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