In 1943, while still interned at the Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas, Asawa was given permission to leave to attend college, first at Milwaukee State Teachers College (1943-1946) and then Black Mountain College in North Carolina (1946-1949). At Black Mountain, her creativity flourished through the guidance of Josef Albers and other teachers and she became fascinated by form and repetition, making her first baskets in the late 1940s. She transformed her earlier interest in conventional drawing by forming wire as if she were drawing in space. Today, her larger looped-wire sculptures can command as much as five million dollars. 

She is in every way an indomitable American, having been born in 1926 into a family with seven children that lived on a modest truck farm in Norwalk, California. During her early life she worked through every adversity, never complaining. She seems to have kept in mind the pursuit of her creativity; the setting up of programs through which others might find artistic expression, and her family.    

Her artistic legacy can be seen hanging in the Educational Tower of the de Young museum; on permanent display and easily visited at no cost to visitors because Ruth believed that art should be accessible to all. Since its opening in 1968, tourists visiting Ghirardelli Square have been delighted to view Asawa’s Andrea, a fountain featuring nursing mermaids surrounded by various aspects of aquatic life. The woman who was the model for the Andrea fountain was Andrea Jepson, a neighborhood friend. Ruth Asawa was commissioned to create over 10 major works of art around the San Francisco Bay Area, all intended for public display. In addition to her public art projects, she helped to start the Alvarado School Arts Workshop in 1968 which expanded to 50 different school art programs and was a member of the San Francisco Arts Commission.  

Fine Estate Inc., a San Rafael, California based gallery, is presently offering Asawa’s Untitled (S. 391) at auction on May 21st. This looped-wire sculpture of six interlocking brass wire trumpets was fashioned circa 1958 and is registered in the Asawa database.  

Untitled (S.391) is fresh to market and has never been offered for sale or publicly exhibited. In the early 1960’s Asawa, a working artist and mother, bartered this sculpture in exchange for piano lessons for three of her six children. The piano teacher, Florence Oertel Hartford, hung the sculpture in her home studio where it remained until her passing.  

This artwork descended in the family to the current owners who have now consigned it to auction. It has a pre-sale estimate of $200,000-300,000.

Untilted S.391 is fresh to market, it has never been offered for sale or publicly exhibited. In the early 1960’s  Ruth Asawa, a working artist and mother, not always flush with cash, bartered this sculpture in exchange for piano lessons for three of her six children. The piano teacher, Florence Oertel Hartford, hung the sculpture in her home studio where it remained, until her passing.  

This artwork descended in the family to the current owners who have now consigned it to auction. It has a pre-sale estimate of $200,000-300,000.

Other special lots include Lot 226: 1946 Indian Chief Roadmaster; Lot 142: Patek Phillippe Calatrava 18k  wristwatch; Lot: 85 David Webb diamond and enamel Chevron ring; Lot 107 Burma Ruby and Diamond ring: Lot 167 and 168 Gubi Beetle dining Chairs; Lot 177 and 178 Pair of Herman Miller Eames Chair and Ottomans

 Please Visit Our Auction Page Here to view all lots.