Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Sam Gilliam
Abstract painting, Ex-Museum of Modern Art Collection (MoMA label) Signed Framed

1968

$160,000
£120,655.88
€139,544.32
CA$224,479.15
A$249,522.52
CHF 130,794.36
MX$3,047,273.66
NOK 1,632,892.05
SEK 1,536,246.81
DKK 1,041,518.25

About the Item

Sam Gilliam Untitled Abstract Expressionist mixed media painting, Ex-Museum of Modern Art Collection, 1968 Watercolor and Aluminum Paint on Fiberglass Paper. (Framed with Museum of Modern Art Collection Label Verso and Exhibition brochure from the American Embassy Exhibition in Moscow) 18 × 23 1/2 in 45.7 × 59.7 cm This is a unique work In a fascinating December, 2024 New York Times feature, art critic Walker Mimms reminds us that in the mid 1960s, the United States government used modern art as an instrument of the Cold War. He writes, "the C.I.A., with the help of institutions like MoMA in New York, deployed modern art as Cold War-era agitprop by financing exhibitions of artists like Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko that traveled extensively abroad and promoted their subjects as icons of American individualism." This 1968 Abstract Expressionist painting on paper by pioneering African American artist Sam Gilliam, from the collection of MoMA in New York, was one of them. In fact, it was even exhibited at the American Embassy in Moscow, under the auspices of the Museum of Modern Art and its curator. Historic late 1960s painting created with watercolor and aluminum paint on fiberglass paper. Hand signed by the artist lower right front, with label from The Museum of Modern Art, NY. , including the museum collection number. Sam Gilliam's works from this era are coveted in the marketplace; especially the present work with such extraordinary provenance and fascinating history: As noted above, this painting was also featured in the exhibition "American Contemporary Art" at the American Embassy in Moscow, curated by Margaret Patter, Associate Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art. Accompanying this work is an undated xerox copy of the exhibition brochure, in both English and Russian. The curator describes this Gilliam work from MOMA's Collection: "One of the consistent themes of Abstract Expressionism was the dual nature of a painting; its existence as symbolic expression and as a physical object made of flat canvas and fluid paint. In granting a dominant role to the artist's intuition, the Abstract Expressionists made a virtue of the accidental splashes and drips of paint which resulted from spontaneous use of paint and accepted these as integral elements of the total expression. Subsequently, a number of painters and sculptors have pursued further one aspect of this duality by concentrating on the physical attributes of their media. Rejecting a preconceived image or one which evolves during the process of painting, these artists have permitted the nature of the medium itself to determine the image. In his untitled watercolor of 1968, Sam Gilliam, a young Negro [sic] artist from Washington, D.C. soaked color in an especially absorbent paper and then folded it several times. The interaction of the materials and the process, rather than the artist's touch and decision, brought about the random blots of color. To contrast with the textural softness and depth, the artist has covered parts of the surface with aluminum paint whose stuff glitter and deliberate lack of formal structure further stress the intrinsic qualities of the paint and paper rather than the artist's participation. This frank emphasis on the physical aspects of the artist's means and activity reflect a diffidence toward self-revelation and the assignment of symbolic values to art, a trend which has become increasingly common in recent American art." (Text also translated into Russian.) In 2017, this work was featured in the exhibition "The Anxiety of Influence" at Chapter New York Gallery in Manhattan. See attached Installation photos. Measurements: 18 x 23 1/2 in. (Artwork); 26 x 31 in. (frame). Exhibition History: "American Contemporary Art", American Embassy, Moscow, Catalogue Essay by Margaret Patter, Associate Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art, New York (ca. 1970), with reproductions and essay about this work. "The Anxiety of Influence", curated by Alex Glauber, November 10 – December 22, 2017 In 2017, this work was featured in the exhibition "The Anxiety of Influence" at Chapter New York Gallery in Manhattan. See attached Installation photos. Exhibition History: "American Contemporary Art", American Embassy, Moscow, Catalogue Essay by Margaret Patter, Associate Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art, New York (ca. 1970), with reproductions and essay about this work. "The Anxiety of Influence", curated by Alex Glauber, November 10 – December 22, 2017
  • Creator:
    Sam Gilliam (1933, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1968
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Width: 31 in (78.74 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Medium:
    Fiberglass,Paint,Watercolor
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Held in original vintage 1960s frame with the original label Age toning to the original matting and frame vintage. Work itself is in excellent condition.
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1745216863252

More From This Seller

View All
Monoprint with screenprint collage acrylic, stitching & embossing Signed, Framed
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Monoprint with screenprint, collage, acrylic, stitching and embossing in colors on handmade paper, 1994, signed, dated, titled, and numbered 10/40 (each unique) in black and silver i...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints

Materials

Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Rag Paper, Screen

Cuatro, Monoprint with screenprint collage acrylic, stitching & embossing Signed
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Sam Gilliam Cuatro, 1994 Monoprint with screenprint, collage, acrylic, stitching and embossing in colors on handmade paper Hand signed, dated, titled and annotated P/P by Sam Gilliam...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Monoprint, Screen

Sam Gilliam, Buoy Landscape IV Mixed media signed/n Abstract Expressionist print
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Sam Gilliam Buoy Landscape IV, 1982 Color relief print, etching, screenprint, drypoint, aquatint and roulette all from deeply etched copper plates, on handmade wove paper 31 1/2 × 24 inches Hand signed and numbered 3/25 in graphite pencil Hand-signed by artist, Signed by artist, numbered, and dated in pencil and blind-stamped by printer-publisher on lower right, titled in pencil on lower left, recto Unframed with elegant deckled edges Rare vintage intaglio and relief, all from deeply etched copper plates. Other works from this series are in the permanent collections of major museums & institutions like the Smithsonian, so they are quite scarce on the open market. Steven M. Andersen (Printer) Philip Barber (Printer) Hang Nguyen (Printer) Stephanie Nowack (Printer) Michael Reid (Printer) Daniel Rounds (Printer) Vermillion Editions Limited (Publisher) Sam Gilliam Biography: Sam Gilliam was one of the great innovators in postwar American painting. He emerged from the Washington, D.C. scene in the mid 1960s with works that elaborated upon and disrupted the ethos of Color School painting. A series of formal breakthroughs would soon result in his canonical Drape paintings, which expanded upon the tenets of Abstract Expressionism in entirely new ways. Suspending stretcherless lengths of painted canvas from the walls or ceilings of exhibition spaces, Gilliam transformed his medium and the contexts in which it was viewed. As an artist in the nation’s capital at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, this was not merely an aesthetic proposition; it was a way of defining art’s role in a society undergoing dramatic change. Gilliam pursued a pioneering course in which experimentation was the only constant. Inspired by the improvisatory ethos of jazz, his lyrical abstractions took on an increasing variety of forms, moods, and materials. In addition to a traveling retrospective organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. in 2005, Sam Gilliam was the subject of solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1971); The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (1982); Whitney Museum of American Art, Philip Morris Branch, New York (1993); J.B. Speed Memorial Museum, Louisville, Kentucky (1996); Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. (2011); and Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland (2018), among many other institutions. A semi-permanent installation of Gilliam’s paintings opened at Dia:Beacon in August 2019. His work is included in over fifty public collections, including those of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Tate Modern, London; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Art Institute of Chicago. Sam Gilliam, Green April, 1969, acrylic on canvas, 98 x 271 x 3 7/8 inches (248.9 x 688.3 x 9.8 cm), Collection of Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland, Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, photography by Lee Thompson...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints

Materials

Mixed Media, Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint, Screen

Offset Lithograph signed & warmly Inscribed to African American Arts prof Framed
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Sam Gilliam Offset Lithograph Warmly Inscribed to Renowned African American Arts Educator, 1988 Offset Lithograph Card Hand written, signed and inscribed card with a warm personal message from the artist Frame Included Hand written, signed and inscribed offset lithograph card with a warm personal message from Sam Gilliam to Lindsay Waldorf Patterson. Measurements: Frame: 14 7/8 x 12 x 1/2 inches Card: 8 x 5 inches The inscription reads: To Lindsay: With Warmest Regards Sam Gilliam Lindsay Waldorf Patterson was an American English literature educator and author as well as a MacDowell Colony fellow (3 awards); Edward Albee Foundation fellow (2 awards); recipient award National Foundation on Arts & Humanities. Hand signed on the front Provenance: From the estate of Lindsay Waldorf Patterson. Lindsay Waldorf Patterson was an American English literature educator and author as well as an MacDowell Colony fellow (3 awards); Edward Albee Foundation fellow (2 awards); recipient award National Foundation on Arts & Humanities. Formerly an account executive, Harrison Advertising Agency, New York City, 1964; feature writer and columnist assistant to Langston Hughes, Associated Negro Press, 1965; special feature writer (film) Uptight,, Paramount Pictures, 1968; co-host Celebrity Hour program, Station WRVR-FM, New York City, 1974-1977; co-host Black Conversations program, Station WPIX-television, New York City, 1976-1979; assistant Professor of English, Queens College, Flushing, New York, since 1990. Adjunct Professor Afro-American & Caribbean literature, black theater...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints

Materials

Offset, Ink, Lithograph

Thomas Anderson Abstract Expressionist painting on paper, unique, signed, Framed
By Thomas Anderson
Located in New York, NY
Thomas Anderson Abstract Expressionist painting on paper, ca. 1987 Mixed media watercolor, gouache and marker on paper Signed in black marker lower right front Unique Frame included ...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Mixed Media

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Gouache, Permanent Marker

Elegy, September 11, 2001, screenprint, signed/N, Framed abstract expressionist
By Jules Olitski
Located in New York, NY
Jules Olitski Elegy, September 11, 2001, 2002 Silkscreen on wove paper Edition 103/108 Signed, titled and numbered in graphite pencil 103/108 on the front Framed Jules Olitski is hon...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints

Materials

Screen

You May Also Like

Sam Gilliam Handmade Paper "Untitled #34" Acrylic. Signed & Dated
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Detroit, MI
“Untitled #34” was created by Sam Gilliam, one of the great innovators in postwar American painting. It is dated and signed on the lower front. The thick handmade paper is rich with folds and texture and the colors lively. In addition to Acrylic paint on the surface there appears to be imbedded color in the handmade paper which has additional embossed accents. Unframed the piece measures 16 x 14. Provenance of Yaw Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan is on the verso along with the note that the Paper Surfaces in contact with this artwork are acid free. In the mid-1960s he emerged from the Washington D.C. scene with works that elaborated upon and disrupted the ethos of Color School painting. A series of formal breakthroughs would soon result in his canonical Drape paintings, which expanded upon the tenets of Abstract Expressionism in entirely new ways. One profound manner was the sculpture aspect of the painting giving it a free flowing expression of pure color. In the latter half of the 1950s, Washington D.C. saw a flourishing of abstract art that emphasized the form-making capabilities of pure color. Known as The Washington Color School, the loosely affiliated group of abstract painters knew each other through various teaching experiences. The moniker has an uncertain origin but likely originated with the title of a 1965 exhibition at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, "Washington Color Painters," curated by Gerald Nordland. The show exhibited the works of Kenneth Noland, Paul Reed, Morris Louis, Howard Mehring, Thomas Downing, and Gene Davis. Additionally, Leon Berkowitz...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Handmade Paper

H Series, #63
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Sam Gilliam Title: H Series, #63 Medium: Acrylics on handmade paper collage Date: 2000 Edition: Unique Frame Size: 21 1/8" x 18 1/8" Sheet Size: 11" x 11" Signature: Hand sig...
Category

1970s Contemporary Abstract Prints

Materials

Canvas, Screen

RECITALS Signed Mixed Media Print, Abstract Collage, Rainbow Colors, Spirals
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Union City, NJ
RECITALS is mixed media limited edition print by the renowned African American artist Sam Gilliam, created using Archival Inkjet, Relief, and Stencil techniques. This vertical, rainb...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Prints

Materials

Mixed Media

Manet Acrylic, collage, relief, handmade paper, screen print, cutouts Stitching
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Southampton, NY
The work of Sam Gilliam is included in over fifty public collections, including those of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Tate Modern, London; the Museum of Modern Art, ...
Category

1990s Abstract Mixed Media

Materials

Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Screen, Handmade Paper

Contemporary Multi Color Abstract Painting On Handmade Paper by Martha Holden
Located in Frederiksberg C, DK
With its extra-large dimension and joyful composition this painting by American artist Martha Holden is a rare piece. It is a contemporary abstract that ...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Ink, Gouache, Handmade Paper

Antique American Abstract Expressionist Vintage Signed Original Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American abstract expressionist mixed media painting by Bernyce Alpert Winick 1922-2022. Watercolor and collage paper. Signed. Framed. ...
Category

1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil