Ruth Asawa: Retrospective
Member Previews: April 4, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. + April 5–6, 10 a.m.–Noon
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Become a member to enjoy early access, members-only hours, and free tickets.
This first posthumous retrospective presents the full range of Ruth Asawa’s work and its inspirations over six decades of her career. As an artist, Asawa forged a groundbreaking practice through her ceaseless exploration of materials and forms. As an educator and civic leader, Asawa’s impact on San Francisco can still be felt today.
Take in the breadth and depth of Asawa’s creative practice.
You’ll find many of her signature suspended looped- and tied-wire sculptures alongside lesser-known works, including a selection of her sculptural “miniatures” — the smallest measuring just over one inch in diameter. From vibrant drawings and paintings to clay masks and cast bronze sculptures, more than 300 works give insight into Asawa’s relentlessly experimental vision.
Discover her deep connection to San Francisco.
A gallery that evokes the living room of Asawa’s longtime Noe Valley home opens with the artist’s hand-carved redwood doors, and features cases of her sketchbooks, art by friends that she kept on display, and a rich array of the sculptures that once hung from her ceiling. Archival materials show how Asawa shaped her adopted hometown through numerous public commissions and her dedication to arts education.
Participate in keeping her legacy alive.
We’ve built an oral history recording booth where you can share and discover community connections to the artist and her work. Live her values through one of the many events we have planned, including programs featuring a garden inspired by Asawa’s own and built by Habitat Horticulture on our Floor 4 terrace.
Check back often! Programs will continue to be added to our events calendar throughout the exhibition’s run.
60年にも及んだルース・アサワの活動。没後初となるこの回顧展では、アサワの作品とその源となったインスピレーションを紹介します。アーティストとして、アサワは素材や形態に対する飽くことのない探求心を発揮し、革新的な作品を次々に作り出しました。また教育者、そして市民活動の指導者としての彼女の影響力は、今もなおサンフランシスコで感じることができます。
アサワの制作活動の幅広さと深さを実感しましょう
彼女の代表作といえるループ状のワイヤーとタイドワイヤーの彫刻作品の数々。それらとともに、最小サイズの直径がわずが２.５センチメートルほどの「ミニチュア」彫刻など、あまり知られていない他の作品も吊り下げられています。生き生きとしたデッサンや絵画から粘土製マスクやブロンズの鋳造作品まで、300点以上の作品がアサワのたゆまぬ挑戦をうかがわせます。
サンフランシスコとアサワの深いつながり
アサワが長年暮らしたノエ・ヴァレーの自宅の居間を思わせるギャラリーは、彼女が手彫りで制作したアメリカスギ製の扉を開くと、その先にスケッチブックが収められたケース、常に飾っていた友人たちの芸術作品、かつて自宅の天井から吊り下げていたさまざまな彫刻作品などが展示されています。公的機関からの数々の委託や芸術教育への熱意を通じて、その第二の故郷を彼女がどのようにかたちづくっていったか、記録文書を通じてうかがい知ることができます。
アサワのレガシーを受け継ぎましょう
録音資料のブースでは、アサワと彼女の作品、そしてコミュニティとのつながりを知り、発見することができます。Habitat Horticultureが４階テラスに制作した、アサワ自身の庭からインスパイアされた庭園など、数々のイベントを通して彼女の価値と功績を実感してください。
いつでも再訪をお待ちしています！展示期間を通じて、イベント・カレンダーにさまざまなプログラムが追加される予定です。
Exhibition Preview
Ruth Asawa’s San Francisco
Take a fascinating tour through Ruth Asawa’s San Francisco, featuring public art she created, with special stops at SFMOMA and in the South Bay. Learn more about these and other Asawa public commissions at ruthasawa.com/ruth-asawas-public-art-tour/
Use this map to visit Ruth Asawa’s public artworks in the Bay Area.
Ruth Asawa: Retrospective is an exhibition partnership between the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and The Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA). The exhibition is co-curated by Janet Bishop, Thomas Weisel Family Chief Curator and Curator of Painting and Sculpture, SFMOMA and Cara Manes, Associate Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, MoMA; with Marin Sarvé-Tarr, Assistant Curator, and William Hernández Luege, Curatorial Associate, Painting and Sculpture, SFMOMA; and Dominika Tylcz, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Department of Painting and Sculpture, MoMA.
With support from Google.org.
Major support for the exhibition and catalogue is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
At the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, lead support is provided by Randi and Bob Fisher, the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, Diana Nelson and John Atwater, and Helen and Charles Schwab.
Presenting support is provided by Dana and Bob Emery.
Major support is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Christie’s, Davidow Family Fund for Exhibitions of Modern Art, The KHR McNeely Family Foundation, Kevin, Rosemary, and Hannah Rose McNeely, Katie and Matt Paige, and Shelagh Rohlen, in memory of Tom Rohlen.
Significant support is provided by the Neal Benezra Exhibition Fund, The Black Dog Private Foundation, Jim Breyer, Susan Karp and Paul Haahr, Maria Manetti Shrem and Jan Shrem, Alexandria and Kevin Marchetti, The Elaine McKeon Endowed Exhibition Fund, Kate and Wes Mitchell, Jessica Moment, Deborah and Kenneth Novack, the Bernard and Barbro Osher Exhibition Fund, Nancy and Alan Schatzberg, Lydia Shorenstein, and David Zwirner.
Meaningful support is provided by Shawn and Brook Byers, the Mary Jane Elmore West Coast Exhibition Fund, Jessica and Matt Farron, Laurie and Jim Ghielmetti, Hellman & Friedman LLC, Maryellen and Frank Herringer, James Park, Keiko Sakamoto and Bill Witte, Rummi and Arun Sarin Painting and Sculpture Fund, Roselyne Chroman Swig, Diane B. Wilsey, Pat Wilson, and Sonya Yu.
Additional support is provided by Holly Johnson and Parker Harris, the Stuart G. Moldaw Public Program and Exhibition Fund and The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
The Asawa family home and garden presentation at SFMOMA is made possible by Susan Karp and Paul Haahr.
Major support for the catalogue is provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel.
Meaningful support for the catalogue is provided by the Wyeth Foundation for American Art.
Header image: Artist Ruth Asawa making wire sculptures, California, United States, November 1954; image: Nat Farbman/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock; artwork: © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc. / Artists Rights Society(ARS), New York, courtesy David Zwirner