Solo show
Now on
Ruth Asawa
18 Oct 2026 — 10 Jan 2027 at Beyeler Foundation
· Riehen
This exhibition shines a spotlight on Ruth Asawa (1926–2013), one of the most distinctive voices in postwar American art. Best known for her mesmerizing hanging wire sculptures — delicate, looping forms that seem to defy gravity — Asawa developed a singular visual language rooted in craft, community, and a deep connection to natural forms.
Born in California to Japanese immigrant parents, Asawa studied at Black Mountain College under Josef Albers and Buckminster Fuller, experiences that profoundly shaped her approach to form and material. Her wire works, begun in the late 1940s, range from intimate tabletop pieces to large-scale public installations, and continue to captivate audiences worldwide.
The exhibition invites visitors to explore the full arc of Asawa's practice, from her early experiments with woven wire to her later drawings, watercolors, and community art projects that transformed public spaces in San Francisco.
Born in California to Japanese immigrant parents, Asawa studied at Black Mountain College under Josef Albers and Buckminster Fuller, experiences that profoundly shaped her approach to form and material. Her wire works, begun in the late 1940s, range from intimate tabletop pieces to large-scale public installations, and continue to captivate audiences worldwide.
The exhibition invites visitors to explore the full arc of Asawa's practice, from her early experiments with woven wire to her later drawings, watercolors, and community art projects that transformed public spaces in San Francisco.
About the artist
Ruth Asawa
1926–2013
Ruth Aiko Asawa was an American modernist artist primarily known for her abstract looped-wire sculptures inspired by natural and organic forms. In addition to her three-dimensional work, Asawa created figurative and abstract drawings and prints influenced by nature, particularly flowers and plants.
About the artist →About the venue
Beyeler Foundation
· Riehen
The Beyeler Foundation or Fondation Beyeler, with its museum in Riehen, near Basel (Switzerland), owns and oversees the art collection of Hildy and Ernst Beyeler, which features modern and traditional art. The Beyeler Foundation museum includes a space for special exhibitions staged to complement…
