Ruth Asawa: Citizen of the Universe

A unique look at the visionary artist, educator and activist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013).

‘I state, without hesitation or reserve, that I consider Ruth Asawa to be the most gifted, productive, and originally inspired artist that I have ever known personally’ R. Buckminster Fuller, 1971

Although less known outside North America, Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa is an artist of vital importance to modern art. Ruth Asawa: Citizen of the Universe, which accompanies the first exhibition of Asawa’s work to be staged in public galleries in Europe, introduces European audiences to both Asawa’s powerful art – including her signature hanging sculptures in looped and tied wire – and her pioneering education practice. It positions her expansive ethos – her self-identification as ‘a citizen of the universe’ and belief that art education can be life enriching for everyone – as a catalyst for creative forward-thinking in the 21st century.

Focusing on a dynamic and formative period in her life from 1945 to 1980, this book gives readers a unique experience of the artist and her work, exploring her legacy from a European perspective and positioning her as an abstract sculptor crucial to American modernism. It is a wonderful celebration of her holistic integration of art, education and community engagement, through which she called for a revolutionary and inclusive vision of art’s role in society.