In Ruth Asawa: Retrospective, explore the legacy of the Bay Area legend who forged a groundbreaking art practice, balanced her career with raising six children, and sought arts education for all.
Encompassing the intricate suspended wire sculptures for which she is best known, cast bronzes, clay masks, paperfolds, drawings, prints, and documentation of her public sculpture and work with schoolchildren, the 300+ artworks on view provide a comprehensive picture of her significant contributions to 20th-century art.
Below, find out what visitors think about Asawa's expansive art practice. And make memories with mom by adding Ruth Asawa: Retrospective to your Mother's Day festivities. May and June tickets are now on sale — plan your visit today!
|
| Get tickets
|
|
|
|
|
|
Visitor Reflections on Ruth Asawa: Retrospective |
|
|
|
|
Photo: @averyjkim |
|
|
|
As part of the exhibition, visitors have the opportunity to share their thoughts in a recording booth. Read their
in-gallery submissions below!
|
|
|
"I am inspired by Asawa’s dedication to both art and education. As an educator myself, I feel inspired by her creativity and boldness. As an Asian American woman, her contributions have paved the way."
|
|
|
"Thank you maestra. You have given me an immense sense of wonder, joy, curiosity, and gratitude."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Photo: @karenemmert |
|
|
|
"As an Igbo American sculptor, Ruth’s work has pushed me to embrace soft curvature through my
works."
|
|
|
"Ruth Asawa is a model for artists or non-artists, however you identify."
|
|
|
"Ruth Asawa's art has inspired me to connect more with the natural surroundings of San Francisco."
|
|
|
Explore more stories and leave your own when you visit Ruth Asawa: Retrospective.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Press About Ruth Asawa: Retrospective |
|
|
|
|
Photo: @foxanddoll |
|
|
|
"Asawa’s looped-wire forms have been widely acclaimed for transforming a utilitarian material and innovating
on techniques that added buoyancy and transparency in sculpture." — The New York Times
|
|
|
"This is what an experiment-driven, rigorous, collaborative and deeply generous art practice looks like." — KQED Arts
|
|
|
"The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s vast new exhibit, 'Ruth Asawa: Retrospective' certainly inspires superlatives." — The Mercury News
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Photo: @wwyyi |
|
|
|
"Ruth Asawa: Retrospective gives audiences a chance to also consider Asawa amidst the artistic
energies of the Bay Area." — Christie's
|
|
|
". . . [She’s] behind some of the most recognizable public sculptures in the city, a reminder that her story is interwoven into the very landscape of San Francisco itself." — SFGATE
|
|
|
Plus, in celebration of Asawa's work, you can "Channel the Elegant Forms of Ruth Asawa" in Vanity Fair.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Explore More Ruth Asawa: Retrospective |
|
|
|
Book a private tour |
Delve into the extraordinary work and life of San Francisco icon Ruth Asawa with your private group! Private guided tours are available for groups of 10 or more people, from May 12.
|
| Learn more
|
|
|
Shop the Asawa collection |
Shop the Ruth Asawa collection inspired by the exhibition.
|
| Browse online
|
|
|
|
“An artist is an ordinary person who can take ordinary things and make them special.” — Ruth Asawa
Don't miss Ruth Asawa: Retrospective. Get your tickets today!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
|
|
|
Our ongoing commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
|
|
|
|
© 2025 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Image details: Ruth Asawa: Retrospective (installation view, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, April 5–September 2, 2025); artwork: © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., courtesy David Zwirner; photo: Henrik Kam. Visitor at Ruth Asawa: Retrospective, 2025; photo: @averyjkim. Visitor at Ruth Asawa: Retrospective, 2025; photo:
@karenemmert. Ruth Asawa: Retrospective (installation view, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, April 5–September 2, 2025); artwork: © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., courtesy David Zwirner; photo: Henrik Kam. Visitor at Ruth Asawa: Retrospective, 2025; photo: @foxanddoll. Visitor at Ruth Asawa: Retrospective, 2025; photo: @wwyyi. Ruth Asawa: Retrospective (installation view, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, April 5–September 2, 2025); artwork: © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., courtesy David Zwirner; backdrop photograph: © 2025 Rondal Partridge Archives; photo: Henrik Kam. Ruth Asawa: Retrospective (installation view, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, April 5–September 2, 2025); artwork: © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., courtesy David Zwirner; photo: Henrik Kam. Digital graphic; courtesy SFMOMA; image: Laurence Cuneo, Ruth Asawa holding a paperfold, ca. 1970s (detail); © Laurence Cuneo; artwork: © 2025
Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., courtesy David Zwirner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ruth Asawa: Retrospective is an exhibition partnership between the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
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.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
