Lost and Found

About the Art

Alison Saar used everyday materials of wood, tin and wire to create this sculpture of two seated figures, doubled over, connected by their hair. The small red chairs are labeled on the back, one with the word “Lost” and the other with the word “Found.” Saar’s sculpture may seem abstract, but the pared down colors, materials and forms allow for viewers to read many messages in the work. These figures share the same wiry hair—an important component of Black culture and a recurring element in Saar’s work. The two people cannot see each other yet are unmistakably linked—what could that mean in the lives of Americans today?

FEATURED IMAGE
Alison Saar (American, born 1956), Lost and Found, 2003, wood, tin, wire, 28 1/2 x 125 x 33 inches (72.4 x 317.5 x 83.8 cm). Museum purchase with funds provided by the 2004 Medici Society, 2004.16