Postwar American artist Sam Gilliam was an innovative Color Field painter and lyrical abstractionist perhaps best known for working directly on draped, unprimed canvases freed from their stretcher bars in as early as the mid-1960s.
Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Gilliam studied art at the University of Louisville, earning both undergraduate and graduate degrees in fine art. He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1962, where he became associated with the Washington Color School. Inspired by the vibrant hues of German Expressionism, Gilliam pushed the limits of his medium by eliminating the use of easels and stretchers. Instead, he painted on draped canvases suspended from the walls and the ceiling of his studio.
Overlooked at first, the resulting works, radiant and rippling with energy, would become universally recognized as a hallmark of Gilliam’s oeuvre. Later in his career, he would draw inspiration from jazz and textile artistry, creating improvisational collage-style “quilted” paintings on nylon or canvas that recall quilt patterns.
In 1972, Gilliam became the first Black artist to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale; he also exhibited at the 2017 Venice Biennale. His works can be found in more than 50 public collections around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Corcoran Gallery of Art (now the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design) in Washington, D.C., the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Paris Museum of Modern Art, among many others. Gilliam’s awards include the United States State Department Medal of Arts, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and more.
Find original Sam Gilliam prints and other art on 1stDibs.
"Recitals, Signed Mixed Media Print, Abstract Color Collage Design, 38x20"
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...
Mixed Media
$18,000
Sam Gilliam -Two, Monoprint, 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...
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Rag Paper, Screen
$11,200Sale Price|20% Off
Sam Gilliam Untitled (Purple) 1996 Signed Mixed Media on Paper
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Sam Gilliam Title: Untitled (Purple) Year:1996 Medium: Original Mixed Media on Paper Size: 11" × 14" Inscription Front: Signed and dated lower left edge, "Sam Gilliam 96" Ins...
Paper, Mixed Media
Dance '72
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Color screenprint, 1972. Signed by the artist and dated in pencil, lower right margin. Numbered 24/60 in pencil lower left,. Printed and published by Workshop, Inc., Washington, DC...
Screen
$6,400Sale Price|20% Off
Sam Gilliam 1998 Signed Mixed Media Lithograph Edition of 60
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Sam Gilliam Title: Untitled (1998) Year: 1998 Medium: Mixed Media Lithograph Size: 21.5" x 22" Frame: 28" x 29" x 3" Edition: 29/60 Inscription: Signed, dated, and numbered o...
Paper, Lithograph
Dance '72
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Color screenprint, 1972. Signed by the artist and dated in pencil, lower right margin. Numbered 24/60 in pencil lower left,. Printed and published by Workshop, Inc., Washington, D...
Screen
$16,000
Sam Gilliam Six Works - Collection of 6 Signed Originals Mixed Media on Paper
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Aritst: Sam Gilliam Title: Six Works Year: c. 1990s Medium: Original Mixed Media on Paper Size: Each: 10.875" × 8.5" (28 × 22 cm) Inscription: Signed lower edge on two works "Sam", a...
Paper, Mixed Media
$6,400
Sam Gilliam - Red and Black to "D", historic 1982 Studio Museum poster, SIGNED
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Scarce 1982 offset lithograph poster Signed and dated 1991 in ink by Sam Gilliam This is a hand signed exhibition poster for Sam Gilliam's landmark 1982 mid-career retrospective at t...
Lithograph, Offset
$12,500
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...
Mixed Media, Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint, Screen
ABSOLUT(Study) - Abstract Wall Installation Sculpture, 1991
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Palm Desert, CA
“ABSOLUT(Study)” (1991) is a wall sculpture by American artist, Sam Gilliam. Gilliam was a major figure in postwar American abstraction, best known for pushing Color Field painting ...
Metal
$2,800
Sam Gilliam - card with letter hand signed 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 me...
Ink, Lithograph, Offset
$9,750
Dogon V
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Sam Gilliam (1933–2022) is beloved as one of the 20th century's most important abstract artists. He was a true innovator in the evolution of American abstraction. Gilliam is credited...
Intaglio, Lithograph
"Greater Grand Rapids" Sam Gilliam, Gray, Yellow, Red, Abstract Composition
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Sam Gilliam Greater Grand Rapids, 1978 Signed and dated in pencil lower center; signed, titled, dated in pencil verso Mixed media and collage, with various fabrics, burlap, and handm...
Fabric, Burlap, Mixed Media, Handmade Paper
$7,600Sale Price|20% Off
Sam Gilliam Shoebox Mixed Media Relief Etching Collage 1997 Signed Edition of 21
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Sam Gilliam Title: Shoebox Medium: Relief Etching with Collage on Handmade Paper Size: 20" x 23.5", unframed Edition: 16/21 Year: 1997 Inscription: Signed, titled, dated, and...
Paper, Etching
$19,500
Manet Acrylic, collage, relief, handmade paper, screen print, cutouts Stitching
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Southampton, NY
"Manet" by Sam Gilliam was created in 1998, it is a Mixed-media work on Handmade paper with hand painting, relief painting, screen printing, cutouts, collage and stitching, making ea...
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Screen, Handmade Paper
Confetti Hex
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Sam Gilliam (1933–2022) is beloved as one of the 20th century's most important abstract artists. He was a true innovator in the evolution of American abstraction. Several groundbreak...
Textile, Acrylic Polymer, Mixed Media
$9,500
H 38.75 in W 31.5 in D 2 in
"Young Spanish Peasant" 1970 Pablo Picasso Hand Signed Color Lithograph /150
By Pablo Picasso
Located in Yardley, PA
About this work: Among the most engaging images of Picasso’s final years, "Young Spanish Peasant" combines the unmistakable shorthand of his late draftsmanship with a particularly ap...
Paper, Lithograph
$2,800
H 31 in W 39 in
Selfportrait as a Flowerpot by Dieter Roth abstract lithograph
By Dieter Roth
Located in New York, NY
This proof is one of just a few printed in this color combination: the edition of 110 is printed with an orange background, while this copy is a muted yellow with the central, scribb...
Handmade Paper, Lithograph
$3,000
H 50 in W 38 in
Gigi: red black abstract print with poetry based on 1950s vintage movie poster
By Rene Ricard
Located in New York, NY
Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. This red and black lithograp...
Lithograph
$1,248Sale Price|20% Off
H 16.75 in W 13.75 in
Acrobats, circa 1969 — Marc Chagall, Color Lithograph
By Marc Chagall
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrobats, circa 1969, by Marc Chagall. Lithograph in color on Velin paper, from an edition of 2,000. Artwork dimensions: 12.5 × 9.5 inches (31.75 × 24.13 cm). Framed dimensions: 16.7...
Archival Paper, Lithograph
$1,800
H 29.875 in W 22.875 in
"Untitled" lithograph on cardboard by Imi Knoebel from "Kinderstern" portfolio
By Imi Knoebel
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Untitled" lithograph on cardboard of red "Star for Children" by artist Imi Knoebel from the "Kinderstern" portfolio, published in 1989 by Edition Domberger to raise money to house f...
Lithograph
Nick Thomm - LUMINANCE - SET (Standard)
By Nick Thomm
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'LUMINANCE' (SET) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) per print. Blue Limited Edition of 425. Orange Limited Edition of 409. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Pape...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$1,850
H 29 in W 21 in
I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry
By Rene Ricard
Located in New York, NY
Abstract yellow and black Rene Ricard print with hand painted poetry on handmade paper. Printed in black ink at the top of the sheet and framed with a thin line, the artist's loose h...
Lithograph
Nick Thomm - STEMS (Amber) XL
By Nick Thomm
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm - 'STEMS' - (Amber) XL SIZE 92cm x 122cm 36" x 48" Limited Edition of #25 Hand Signed & Numbered. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condit...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$175Sale Price|36% Off
H 16.75 in W 12.75 in D 1 in
Untitled Composition III (Gestural Abstraction, Lyrical, Tachisme, ~36% OFF)
By Otto Greis
Located in Kansas City, MO
Otto Greis Untitled Composition III Original Silkscreen on Fine Vellum Year: 1960 Sheet Size: 7.6 × 5.625 inches (19.30 × 14.29 cm) Mat Size: 10.6 × 8.125 inches (26.92 × 20.64 cm) F...
Vellum, Screen
$530
H 39.38 in W 27.56 in D 0.04 in
Hand painted Proof-Gladiolus Common Blue-British Awarded Artist-English Cottage
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
"Gladiolus Common Blue" marks the latest project by Shizico Yi, a continuation of her renowned "Sunlit Series." Initiated in late spring 2023 and extending throughout the years where...
Gesso, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$2,236Sale Price|20% Off
H 35 in W 27.5 in
Karel Appel, The Soft Oriental, from the Bedized Pudding Canadian Suite, 1979
By Karel Appel
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Karel Appel (1921-2006) Title: The Soft Oriental Year: 1979 Medium: Mixed media silkscreen with embossing on velin d’Arches paper Edition: 9/130; A/P 25; H/C 25 Paper size: 3...
Mixed Media, Rag Paper, Screen
Rio de Janeiro
By Robert Rauschenberg
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rio de Janeiro is a colorful, bold, graphic, and visually compelling offset-lithograph by blue chip, pop artist Robert Rauschenberg. In 1991, he was involved with th...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Lithograph, Offset
"Drawings 1970-80 (Cicada)" Exhibition Poster
By (After) Jasper Johns
Located in New York, NY
"Drawings 1970-80 (Cicada)" Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles, 1981 Exhibition Poster 30.5 x 22.5 inches Unsigned
Offset
“Place de la Concorde”
By Marc Chagall
Located in Southampton, NY
After Marc Chagall (1887–1985), “Place de la Concorde” 1952. Not examined out of frame. Under glass. Color lithograph on wove paper. Unsigned. Unknown edition. Condition is very g...
Archival Paper, Lithograph
Nick Thomm - HEMISPHERE (MULTI) XL
By Nick Thomm
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm - 'HEMISPHERE' - (Multi) XL SIZE 92cm x 122cm 36" x 48" Limited Edition of #85 Hand Signed & Numbered. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. C...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Sold
H 45 in W 69 in
"Untitled" Sam Gilliam, Sculptural Drape, Washington Color School, Intense Color
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Sam Gilliam Untitled, 1991 Signed and inscribed "To Necia"; signed and dated on the reverse. Acrylic on cloth 38 x 62 inches Provenance The artist Necia Harkless, Lexington, Kentuck...
Sailcloth, Acrylic
Sold
H 31 in W 24 in
"Untitled" Sam Gilliam, Expressionist, Washington Color School, Intense Color
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Sam Gilliam Untitled, 1991 Signed and inscribed "To Necia" lower center Acrylic on cloth 25 x 15 inches Provenance The artist Necia Harkless, Lexington, Kentucky Estate of the above...
Fabric, Acrylic
Lincoln Center Festival
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Large colorful abstract screenprint by African-American color field painter and lyrical abstractionist artist Sam Gilliam from a deluxe, limited edition of 108. Signed in pencil by ...
Screen, Color
Sold
H 10.25 in W 14 in
"Arches" Sam Gilliam, Acrylic and Glass Abstract, Washington Color School
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Sam Gilliam Arches, 2014 Signed, titled and dated lower left; signed, titled, and inscribed "to Necia" on the reverse Acrylic and glass on paper 10 1/4 x 14 inches Provenance The ar...
Glass, Mixed Media, Acrylic
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...
Canvas, Screen
Sold
H 41 in W 32 in D 1.25 in
Sam Gilliam - Cuatro, Monoprint and 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...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Monoprint, Screen
Sold
H 40.25 in W 47.25 in D 1.5 in
After Smoke: large limited edition abstract screen print, signed Artist Proof
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
Please contact me with zip code for reduced shipping rates. Delivery available in the Philadelphia, PA area. This is a large, framed abstract color screenprint on Arches paper. It ...
Archival Paper, Screen
Gunny Sack
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Sam Gilliam Title: Gunny Sack Medium: Printed canvas stitched to screenprint Date: 1974 Edition: 3/10 Frame Size: 32 1/4" x 46 3/4" Sheet Size: 25 1...
Canvas, Screen
Four 200
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Sam Gilliam (1933 - 2022), is known as one of America’s most prominent abstract artists, an important contributor to both color-field and lyrical abstract expressionism. Gilliam intr...
Lithograph
Sold
H 34 in W 41 in D 1.5 in
Sam Gilliam Handmade Paper "Arrow Head #4", Signed & Dated
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Detroit, MI
SALE ONE WEEK ONLY “Arrow Head #4” was created by Sam Gilliam, one of the great innovators in postwar American painting. The thick handmade paper is rich ...
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
Sold
H 23.5 in W 27 in D 2 in
"Manet" Acrylic, collage, relief painting, screen print, cutouts and 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...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Screen, Thread
After Smoke
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
Color screenprint on Arches paper. Signed, titled, dated and numbered 22/73 in pencil by Gilliam. Printed by Lou Stovall at the Workshop, Inc., Washington,...
Color, Screen
Purple Antelope Space Squeeze
By Sam Gilliam
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this relief, etching, aquatint and collagraph on hand-made paper with embossing, hand-painting and hand-painted collage. Signed and dated in pencil by Gilli...
Paint, Handmade Paper, Etching, Aquatint
Sold
H 38 in W 20 in
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, rainbow colored, bold geometric composition presents the viewer with an abstract collage of circles, squares, spirals, textures, and translucent layers. The 3-D effect of Japanese washi tissue paper with spiral design lace overlaying the main shapes gives a sense of lightness and dimension. A subtle texture of woodgrain is discernible in the print margins, adding warmth. The glowing rainbow color area and large black and red violet textured spheres set an atmospheric, planetary feel beneath the semi-opaque lacy black and white squares. Print size - 38 x 20 inches, unframed, excellent condition, pencil signed, numbered, and titled by Sam Gilliam Edition size - 100 Year published - 2009 Sam Gilliam (1933-2022)was an American color field painter and lyrical abstractionist artist. Gilliam was associated with the Washington Color School, a group of Washington, D.C.-area artists that developed a form of abstract art from color field painting in the 1950s and 1960s. His works have also been described as belonging to abstract expressionism and lyrical abstraction. He worked on stretched, draped and wrapped canvas, and added sculptural 3D elements. He was recognized as the first artist to introduce the idea of a draped, painted canvas hanging without stretcher bars around 1965. This was a major contribution to the Color Field School...
Mixed Media
Pretty Boxes
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Washington, DC
SAM GILLIAM PRETTY BOXES Artist: Sam Gilliam Title: Pretty Boxes Medium: Color screenprint and offset lithograph with collage on Arches paper Date: 1993 Ed...
Screen