Woman of Substance

A Betty Branch retrospective encapsulates the artist’s far-ranging talent.

By Meg Daly

Roanoke, Virginia, artist Betty Branch had a nontraditional path to becoming an artist, only starting in her 40s. But that didn’t stop her from becoming a celebrated contemporary artist. A comprehensive retrospective at the Taubman Museum of Art celebrates her achievements.Isabel, 1998, bronze, 26 x 24 x 25," Collection of the Taubman Museum of Art, Gift of the artist, 1984.015

The retrospective examines the evolution of Branch’s work over four decades and features over 60 works of art. Taken as a whole, the exhibition offers an in-depth look at the artist’s dedicated exploration of the body, rites of passage, the intersection of land and form, and mythical symbols.

“Through a diversity of media including sculpture, installation, performance and poetic writings, Branch has long been a leading and transformational contributor to the contemporary arts, especially in her expression of powerful images of and effective voices for women,” says Karl E. Willers, chief curator and deputy director of collections and exhibitions at the Taubman Museum.Stretch I and II, 1998, bronze, approximately 32" when installed as pair. Collection of Taubman Museum of Art, Gift of the artist, 1999.027 and 1999.028

Branch’s facility with a variety of sculptural media will be on display. Her expertise in marble can be seen in the female torso Dancer, which powerfully sweeps up and back to emulate the surging power of a wave. Carved in Rosa Portugal marble, Dancer perfectly blends the luminous grace and resolute power of media and subject. Branch’s female form here is anything but delicate and demure. “Marble honors the natural, solid form with grace and simplicity,” she says.

Branch says the inspiration to sculpt the female form stems from her personal experience, as well as years of study. “Nine pregnancies, a study of ancient matriarchies and marination in a patriarchal society” are what she cites as her inspiration. She says her work is “an act of personal rebellion and autonomy.”

For Branch, the female body takes the form of maidens, mothers and goddesses. A woman is not to be seen as “property or pornography,” Branch says, but rather as “beautiful and powerful.”Dancer 1989, Rosa Portugal marble, 59 x 51 x 20" (with base). Collection of the Taubman Museum of Art. Purchased with funds provided by the Collectors Circle, 2008.104One maiden, Isabel, shows a contemplative young person at ease in her body, without artifice or decoration. Cast in bronze, the figure glows with potency.

Branch holds an MA and MFA from Roanoke's Hollins University, where she became versed in a wide range of additive and reductive sculptural techniques using stone, bronze, fiber and earthenware. She has studied internationally, including stops in the Bahamas, Greece and the famed Nicoli Studios in Cararra, Italy. She also apprenticed with renowned sculptors and fabricators Miles & Generalis in Philadelphia.

Branch’s smooth marble sculptures and glossy bronzes contrast with her more textural work featuring feathered creatures.

“The crows are rough because it makes them more expressive,” Branch says. “Each feather could lift up and say something on its own. For me, a smooth crow would be rigid and non-responsive.”Icarus, bronze, 12 x 14 x 4." Collection of the Taubman Museum of Art. Purchased with funds from the Lib Hobbie Memorial Fund 2004.010Branch’s obsession with ravens and crows began adversarially. In 1986, she penned a poem in which she chases after a noisy mob of crows with a gun. The birds were disrupting her peaceful front yard, and she let them have it. But Branch has since changed her tune. Now she celebrates corvids as mirrors for the aging process, playing off the term crone and calling them her “crow’ns.”

Betty Branch: A Retrospective will occupy multiple galleries at the Taubman, including the grand central hall. Works on display are sourced from the museum permanent collection, other institutions, private collections and the artist herself. Viewers can enjoy video footage of Branch’s performances, selected poems by the artist, drawings, maquettes and several iconic sculptures. “I am honored and delighted to have this retrospective and so grateful for all those who have helped me on my way,” Branch says.

Betty Branch: A Retrospective opens Friday, September 2, and runs through Sunday, March 5, 2023.

Taubman Museum of Art
110 Salem Avenue SE • Roanoke, VA 24011
(540) 342-5760 • www.taubmanmuseum.org