Ruth Asawa

(American, 1926–2013)

Ruth Asawa was an American artist known for her intricate sculptures based on sinuous organic forms. Using galvanized wire, stone, and bronze, Asawa crafted nest-like works inspired by native Mexican basket-weaving techniques. “I was interested in it because of the economy of a line, making something in space, enclosing it without blocking it out. It’s still transparent,” she said of her materials. “I realized that if I was going to make these forms, which interlock and interweave, it can only be done with a line because a line can go anywhere.” Born on January 24, 1926 in Norwalk, CA to Japanese immigrants, her early life was blighted by her family’s detainment in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II. After the war, Asawa left California in pursuit of a teaching degree from Milwaukee State Teachers College. Met by discrimination in Milwaukee, the artist abandoned her teaching degree and ventured to Black Mountain College in Asheville, NC. While at Black Mountain College, she studied under prominent artists such as John Cage, Josef Albers, Buckminster Fuller, and Merce Cunningham. Asawa died on August 5, 2013 in San Francisco, CA. Today, the artist’s works are in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

Ruth Asawa News

Auctions

5 Fascinating Backstories Behind the Week's Auction Highlights, From Banksy's Graffitied Church Window to Paula Rego's Human Ostriches

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Auctions

Christie's First-Ever 'Relay' Sale Brought in an Impressive $421 Million in a Four-Hour, Four-City Digital Marathon

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Ruth Asawa Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Ruth Asawa (163 results)
Untitled, 1958

Ruth Asawa

Untitled, 1958

Sale Date: May 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.410, Hanging Seven-Lobed,..., 1955

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.410, Hanging Seven-Lobed,..., 1955

Sale Date: May 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Poppy, 1965

Ruth Asawa

Poppy, 1965

Sale Date: March 28, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1987

Ruth Asawa

Untitled, 1987

Sale Date: February 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (Hanging Sculpture)

Style of Ruth Asawa

Untitled (Hanging Sculpture)

Sale Date: November 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled (SF.005, Undulating..., 1951–1952

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (SF.005, Undulating..., 1951–1952

Sale Date: November 16, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled (PF.065, Succulent), 1976

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (PF.065, Succulent), 1976

Sale Date: September 29, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled (Flower), 1979

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (Flower), 1979

Sale Date: September 27, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled (Hanging Sculpture

Style of Ruth Asawa

Untitled (Hanging Sculpture

Sale Date: June 17, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.469, Hanging Two Complex..., 1955

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.469, Hanging Two Complex..., 1955

Sale Date: May 12, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled ( S.360, Hanging Single-Section,..., 1955

Ruth Asawa

Untitled ( S.360, Hanging Single-Section,..., 1955

Sale Date: November 12, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled (Hanging Sculpture)

Style of Ruth Asawa

Untitled (Hanging Sculpture)

Sale Date: September 17, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled (Hanging Sculpture)

Style of Ruth Asawa

Untitled (Hanging Sculpture)

Sale Date: May 23, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.653, Hanging Tied-Wire,..., 1968

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.653, Hanging Tied-Wire,..., 1968

Sale Date: March 16, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled (S. 846, Freestanding Tied-Wire,..., 1963

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S. 846, Freestanding Tied-Wire,..., 1963

Sale Date: March 9, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.788, Hanging Sphere), 1960–1969

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.788, Hanging Sphere), 1960–1969

Sale Date: February 19, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.045, Hanging Five-Lobed,..., 1960

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.045, Hanging Five-Lobed,..., 1960

Sale Date: December 7, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled [SF.005, Undulating..., 1951–1952

Ruth Asawa

Untitled [SF.005, Undulating..., 1951–1952

Sale Date: December 3, 2020

Auction Closed

UNTITLED (S.267, HANGING SIX-LOBED, FOUR..., 1952

Ruth Asawa

UNTITLED (S.267, HANGING SIX-LOBED, FOUR..., 1952

Sale Date: October 28, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.399, Hanging Tied Wire Open..., 1968

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.399, Hanging Tied Wire Open..., 1968

Sale Date: October 7, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.753, Hanging Ten Interlocking..., 1960

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.753, Hanging Ten Interlocking..., 1960

Sale Date: October 7, 2020

Auction Closed

UNTITLED (S.669, FREESTANDING TIED-WIRE,..., 1963

Ruth Asawa

UNTITLED (S.669, FREESTANDING TIED-WIRE,..., 1963

Sale Date: October 2, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled (PF.1123, Watermelon), circa 1973, 1973

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (PF.1123, Watermelon), circa 1973, 1973

Sale Date: September 16, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.401, Hanging Seven-Lobed,..., 1953–1954

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.401, Hanging Seven-Lobed,..., 1953–1954

Sale Date: July 10, 2020

Auction Closed

English (US)

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