Betye Saar, the iconic assemblage artist, is donating her collection of Black dolls to the New York Historical on the occasion of her 100th birthday. The article also covers strong performance art at the Venice Biennale, including works by Florentina Holzinger and Miet Warlop at the Austrian and Belgian pavilions, amidst a fraught edition marked by the death of artistic director Koyo Kouoh, canceled pavilions, and protests. Additional features include a review of Ceija Stojka's exhibition at the Drawing Center and a profile of sculptor Edmonia Lewis.
Saar's donation matters because it underscores her lifelong practice of subverting racist imagery through assemblage, transforming found objects—including the dolls she calls her 'family'—into powerful art. The Venice Biennale coverage highlights how performance art cuts through political turmoil, while the reviews of Stojka and Lewis amplify marginalized voices in art history, emphasizing survival, memory, and Indigenous and Romani perspectives.