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.
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
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
Reckoning 11-9-89
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. He is credited with...
Concrete
Nick Thomm - GHOSTS (BLUE)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'GHOSTS' (Blue) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) Limited Edition of 199 Hand Signed and Numbered #113 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW. Wo...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Nick Thomm - AETHER (GREEN) Standard
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'AETHER' (Green) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) Limited Edition of 482 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW. Worldwide Shipping. Sold Unframed.
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Stacked Cube Votive Sculpture (Multicolored), 2020
By Dena Paige Fischer
Located in Jersey City, NJ
Concrete, paint, oil pastel and polyurethane Hand-signed by artist Frame: Not included This work includes a certificate of authenticity.
Concrete
Nick Thomm - AFTER DARK (BLUE)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'After Dark' (Blue) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) Limited Edition of 125 Hand Signed and Numbered #104 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Nick Thomm - AFTER DARK (PINK)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'After Dark' (Pink) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) Limited Edition of 125 Hand Signed and Numbered #84 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW....
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Nick Thomm - AFTER DARK (ORANGE)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'After Dark' (Orange) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) Limited Edition of 125 Hand Signed and Numbered #76 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NE...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Nick Thomm - Loom (SKY) Standard
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'LOOM' (Sky) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) Limited Edition of 343. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW. Worldwide Shipping. Sold Unframed.
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Nick Thomm - AFTER DARK (ORANGE)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'After Dark' (Orange) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) Limited Edition of 125 Hand Signed and Numbered #104 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: N...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
ONYX - Dusk (XL)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm - ONYX - Dusk (XL SIZE 36" x 48"). Limited Edition #15 of 25. Hand Signed & Numbered. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW - Unopene...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
ARCHANGEL (XL Size)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm ARCHANGEL (XL SIZE 36" x 48"). Limited Edition #22 of 25. Hand Signed & Numbered. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW - Unopene...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
ONYX - SET (XL)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm - ONYX - SET (XL SIZE 36" x 48" per print). Limited Edition #15 of 25. Hand Signed & Numbered. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW -...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$5,000
H 36 in W 35 in
Sol Lewitt, Geometric Abstraction Louis Vuitton 100% Silk Scarf, Limited Ed. 250
By Sol LeWitt
Located in New York, NY
Sol LeWitt Limited Edition Geometric Abstraction Silk Scarf, ca. 1987 Limited Edition Silkscreen on 100% Italian silk scarf/shawl Signed on the fabric with artist's printed signature...
Silk, Screen
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
Middlesboro
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Summit, NJ
Gorgeous original by Sam Gilliam. This piece is titled “Middlesboro” and is part of Gilliam’s Kentucky City Series done in 1976. It is on handmade paper with color printing of differ...
Mixed Media, Handmade Paper