Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective

Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective

Oct 19, 2025–Feb 7, 2026

MoMA

Ruth Asawa’s artistic journey, spanning over six decades, is an extraordinary exploration of materiality and form. This comprehensive retrospective showcases around 300 works, highlighting her innovative use of a variety of media including wire sculptures, bronze casts, drawings, paintings, prints, and public installations. Asawa’s persistent curiosity in the potential of materials led her to blur traditional boundaries between abstraction and representation, figure and ground, as well as positive and negative space.

Beginning her studies at Black Mountain College in the late 1940s, Asawa started experimenting with simple resources like paper and wire. Her move to San Francisco in 1949 marked an expansion in her practice, encompassing a diverse body of work with intricate looped-wire sculptures and expressive calligraphic ink paintings. Beyond her studio, Asawa’s commitment to community is evident through her numerous public art projects, including fountains, murals, and memorials created from the late 1960s onward.

This exhibition invites viewers to engage closely with Asawa’s multifaceted art, reflecting her integrated approach where the act of living and creating were inseparable. Through her relentless innovation and dedication, Asawa’s work continues to inspire contemplation and a deeper appreciation of the dialogue between material and form.

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