Anchored in Realism

Jane Sauer is a pioneer in contemporary basketry. For nearly three decades she has used basketry techniques to create closed sculptural forms that are a departure from the vessel form usually associated with basketry. Sauer's knotted and painted linen sculptures are often about human interactions and relationships. Anchored in Realism is an excellent example of this, as two forms are intertwined, relying on each other for support, both physical and, in an uncanny way, emotional. This piece is also typical of Sauer's subtle and effective gradations of color, from a deep raspberry to purple.

Originally from St. Louis, Jane Sauer now lives in Santa Fe. She is currently the creative director of Thirteen Moons Gallery. She has served on the board of trustees of the American Craft Council and was recently named an American Craft Fellow. Her work is in the Museum of Art and Design, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the St. Louis Art Museum, and Wadsworth Athaneum, among many international museum collections.

Jane Sauer was included in the Museum of Fine Arts' exhibition Mind over Matter: Reworking Women's Work, which ran from October 11, 2002 through May 4, 2003.