The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia (The Fralin/museum) is pleased to announce the acquisition of a new work by Alison Saar. Mutiny of the Sable Venus (2024) is now on view in the museum’s Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation Entrance Gallery.
Based in Los Angeles, Alison Saar (b.1956) is an influential sculptor, mixed-media, and installation artist. Her artwork focuses on the African diaspora and Black female identity. She cites African, Caribbean, and Latin American folk art, rituals, and spirituality as influences.
“Alison Saar’s woodcut print is a wonderful addition to The Fralin’s collection,” said Kristen Nassif, Curator of Collections. “Layered with personal and art historical meanings, the artwork links the past with the present in meaningful ways. We look forward to sharing the work with our students, faculty, and the greater community.”
The image depicts a commanding Black female figure standing on the back of a catfish under a starry night sky. The figure’s general pose and the title are drawn from an eighteenth-century print used to promote the transatlantic slave trade. Saar, however, reclaims the Sable Venus as a powerful figure honoring the resilience and strength of Black women throughout history. She holds a conch shell in one hand and sickle in the other. Sickles were used by enslaved laborers to harvest sugarcane and other crops—many of which would be stored in cotton seed sacks like the one on which the image is printed.
Fralin curators identified the work at the 2024 Armory Show in New York City at the Tandem Press booth and subsequently purchased it with support from several generous donors. The crowdsourcing process inspired the establishment of Fralin Visionaries, a group of art enthusiasts enabling the museum to acquire new works for the collection. This is the third work by Saar acquired by The Fralin for its permanent collection. Museum holdings include Blue Plate Special (1993) and Snake Man (1994).
The Fralin is grateful to supporters Deborah Cohn, Gay Frix, and Rosalind Waters in care of The Fralin Museum of Art Community Docents; Anonymous gift in memory of Takematsu Nakahashi and Kenji Nakahashi and in honor of Laura Minton; Karole and Eric Barkley; Ellen Climo and Marc Lipson; Deborah and Henry Cohn; Karen Davidson; Joyce Klitenic and Ronald Becker; Laura Lewis; Christine Moore and Robert Bartolo; Louise Spotswood; and Gretchen Tibbits.
About The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia
Established in 1935, the University of Virginia Art Museum became The Fralin Museum of Art in 2012 in honor of a bequest of American art and service to the University by Cynthia and W. Heywood Fralin. The Museum maintains a collection of more than 14,000 works of art, including American and European painting, works on paper, and sculpture from the 15th through the 20th centuries; art from the ancient Mediterranean; Asian art; African art; and Native and ancient American art. Housed in the historic Bayly Building near the Rotunda on the landmark Charlottesville campus, The Fralin is dedicated to serving the widest possible audiences and engaging comprehensive visual education to enhance its visitors’ understanding of world cultures. Throughout the year, the Museum presents a diverse selection of exhibitions, public programs, research, and events that bring the University and broader community together. Admission is free and the Museum is open to all.
More information: uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu
