Ruth Asawa: Endless Variations

In July I will have a show of drawings and new sculpture(s) which I am now working on. It is very exciting, for example: I have 1,000 strands of wire in a bundle; I divide them into 3 until 2 strands are left. I tie each joint with the same wire, so there is no solder used. My tool is a pair of pliers that will cut and twist the wire. The variations are endless. — Ruth Asawa to Josef Albers, April 26, 1963

In 1962, Asawa’s friends Paul and Virginia Hassel gave her a desert plant from Death Valley. Unable to draw it at first, Asawa sculpted the plant out of wire to better understand its structure. Over the course of the next 35 years, Asawa explored the idea in different mediums, resulting in an expansive body of sculptures, paintings, drawings, and prints.

The selection of work on view illustrates Asawa’s exploration of a familiar motif in different materials including wire, paper, plaster, metallic foil, tin, fabric, and more.

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Artwork © 2026 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., Courtesy David Zwirner