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

by Lee Carter
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 (153 results)
Untitled

Ruth Asawa

Untitled

Sale Date: August 4, 2013

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.108 Hanging, Six-Lobed,..., 1965–1969

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.108 Hanging, Six-Lobed,..., 1965–1969

Sale Date: May 15, 2013

Auction Closed

Untitled, S.069/90, 1990

Ruth Asawa

Untitled, S.069/90, 1990

Sale Date: May 17, 2013

Auction Closed

Untitled S. 566 (Hanging Five-Lobed..., 1954

Ruth Asawa

Untitled S. 566 (Hanging Five-Lobed..., 1954

Sale Date: May 15, 2013

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.082 Hanging Single Sphere,..., 1960–1965

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.082 Hanging Single Sphere,..., 1960–1965

Sale Date: May 16, 2013

Auction Closed

Watermelon, 1968

Ruth Asawa

Watermelon, 1968

Sale Date: April 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.454, Hanging Six Interlocked..., 1957

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.454, Hanging Six Interlocked..., 1957

Sale Date: April 2, 2013

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1979

Ruth Asawa

Untitled, 1979

Sale Date: December 16, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.271, Crown), 1955

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.271, Crown), 1955

Sale Date: November 15, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.093, Hanging Seven-Lobed, Two..., 1955

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.093, Hanging Seven-Lobed, Two..., 1955

Sale Date: November 15, 2012

Auction Closed

Large-scale silk-screen print after..., 1950–1959

Ruth Asawa

Large-scale silk-screen print after..., 1950–1959

Sale Date: October 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1979

Ruth Asawa

Untitled, 1979

Sale Date: October 7, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1979

Ruth Asawa

Untitled, 1979

Sale Date: October 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1979

Ruth Asawa

Untitled, 1979

Sale Date: August 5, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1979

Ruth Asawa

Untitled, 1979

Sale Date: July 1, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.073 Hanging Single Sphere, Five..., 1962

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.073 Hanging Single Sphere, Five..., 1962

Sale Date: July 16, 2012

Auction Closed

Watermelon, 1973

Ruth Asawa

Watermelon, 1973

Sale Date: May 21, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1979

Ruth Asawa

Untitled, 1979

Sale Date: May 21, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (S.541, Hanging Five-Lobed, Single..., 1955

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S.541, Hanging Five-Lobed, Single..., 1955

Sale Date: May 9, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (S. 407), 1952

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (S. 407), 1952

Sale Date: March 9, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1979

Ruth Asawa

Untitled, 1979

Sale Date: November 22, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled (Bank)

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (Bank)

Sale Date: November 22, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled (+ Untitled, lrgr; 2 works), 1965

Ruth Asawa

Untitled (+ Untitled, lrgr; 2 works), 1965

Sale Date: November 9, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled S.431 (Open undulating form..., 1950–1959

Ruth Asawa

Untitled S.431 (Open undulating form..., 1950–1959

Sale Date: November 9, 2011

Auction Closed

English (US)

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