Sam Gilliam Paintings
American, 1933-2022
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.
to
1
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
9
784
713
707
707
1
2
Artist: Sam Gilliam
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 Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
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 Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Screen, Handmade Paper
Related Items
OYV-19 - Contemporary Abstract Collage Painting- Yellow, measuring tape
Located in Signal Mountain, TN
OYV-19 is part of Eric Mack's ongoing body of work utilizing multi-media, complex compositions, and a grid centered around urban design. Using a grid to create the framework of the painting, Mack has re-purposed an old Lenny Kravitz album cover as the structure of the piece. On the edges of the piece you can see a complex edge consisting of a faux leather album cover, nylon mesh, and torn paper. As imagery, Mack has chosen musical notes, tape measure, and other music composition elements through Zerox copy adhered by matte medium to the surface. Mack then creates his own color to further tweak and personalize the piece.
Eric Mack (b.1976, Charleston) creates mathematically based renderings with a distinct post-modern twist. Works are informed with super imposed grids, patterns, and portals. Layered surfaces are created with paint, found objects, natural fibers, and synthetic substrates that explore the systems of our visual world.
His most recent show “Charting the Terrain” is on view now at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles was covered by the Los Angeles Times, KCRW, and LALA Magazine. His last solo exhibition was titled "Impossible Architectures" at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2017. Recent group shows include "Abstract Mind" at the Czong Institute of Contemporary Art, South Korea, "Small Works 2017 at Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, "Checkered History", Outpost Artist Resources, Brooklyn, N.Y. 2015;
Collections include High Museum Atlanta, Ing Investments, Hartsfield Jackson International Airport - Atlanta + Atlanta Gas & Light Co. Pepsi Cola, Tate Properties, Heath Gallery, Harold Dawson Properties, Turner Field/Atlanta Braves...
Category
2010s Abstract Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Nylon, Acrylic, Panel, Handmade Paper, Mesh
$2,100
H 20.5 in W 17.5 in D 1.5 in
Figure Sur Rouge (Figure on Red) /// Contemporary French Painting Minimalism Art
By Pierre Marie Brisson
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Pierre Marie Brisson (French, 1955-)
Title: "Figure Sur Rouge (Figure on Red)"
*Signed by Brisson lower right. It is also signed and dated on verso
Year: 1983
Medium: Origina...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Rag Paper, Handmade Paper, Oil, Paint
$1,200 Sale Price
70% Off
H 25.75 in W 20.13 in
Paper collage Abstract Expressionist painting
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful collage painting by unknown artist. Acrylic on torn paper segments, reassembled as collage.
Art object assempled on rectangular sheet of hand made rag paper measures 12.5...
Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
Fils I Colors DCLXXII - Muted Color Abstract Contemporary Art on Paper
By Raul de la Torre
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Barcelona native artist Raul de la Torre's vibrant abstract mixed media artworks pay homage to textiles. De La Torre allows the materials to take over during the process and collabor...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Fils I Colors DCXCI - Colorful Abstract Contemporary Textile Art on Paper
By Raul de la Torre
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Barcelona native artist Raul de la Torre's vibrant abstract mixed media artworks pay homage to textiles. De La Torre allows the materials to take over during the process and collabor...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Fils I Colors DCXX - Colorful Abstract Contemporary Art on Paper
By Raul de la Torre
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Barcelona native artist Raul de la Torre's vibrant abstract mixed media artworks pay homage to textiles. De La Torre allows the materials to take over during the process and collabor...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Paper
Fils I Colors DCLXI - Multicolor Abstract Contemporary Art on Paper
By Raul de la Torre
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Barcelona native artist Raul de la Torre's vibrant abstract mixed media artworks pay homage to textiles. De La Torre allows the materials to take over during the process and collabor...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$1,775
H 22.5 in W 30 in
Fils I Colors DCLXXXI - Abstract Contemporary Colorful Textile Art on Paper
By Raul de la Torre
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Barcelona native artist Raul de la Torre's vibrant abstract mixed media artworks pay homage to textiles. De La Torre allows the materials to take over during the process and collabor...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
New York School Abstract Expressionist Mixed Media Painting Handmade Paper Board
By Taro Yamamoto
Located in Surfside, FL
This is an interesting abstract work done with handmade Japanese Kozo or Washi type fiber paper mounted on board. Hand signed and dated in wonderful muted earth tones of fall foliage.
Taro Yamamoto (1919 – 1994) belonged to the New York School Abstract Expressionist artists whose artistic innovation by the 1950s had been recognized across the Atlantic, including Paris. New York School Abstract Expressionism, represented by Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and others became a leading art movement of the post World War II era. He was also associated with Action painting
Yamamoto was born in Hollywood, California. He lived in Japan from age six to age nineteen.
In 1936 he returned to the USA and began studies in cubism at Los Angeles City College. In 1941 he joined the U.S. Army and served during WWII. After being discharged from the service he returned to California where he studied at the Santa Monica City College. 1950-1952 at The Art Students League of New York, under Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Morris Kantor, Reginald Marsh, Byron Browne and Vaclav Vytlacil; 1951-1953 at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts in New York City.
In 1952 he won a John Sloan Fellowship from the Art Students League. The next year he traveled to Europe under a Edward G. MacDowell Traveling Fellowship where he studies in Stuttgart, Germany with Willi Baumeister. He also exhibited at Galerie Huit in Paris. In 1954 Yamamoto was invited to a residency at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire. There he worked alongside Stuart Davis, Milton Avery, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko developing his unique abstract expressionist style. Later in his life he devoted himself to a more hard-edge geometric style of painting. He married Gwyneth Cotton, a naturalized English woman, in 1955, and they lived in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. They were active at the Universalist Church of Provincetown. (He descended from a long line of Shinto priests) Yamamoto died in Provincetown in 1994.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
1953: Galerie Huit, Paris;
1955: The Art Students League of New York, NYC;
1960-1962: Krasner Gallery, NYC;
1963-1964: 371 Gallery, Provincetown, MA;
Selected Group Exhibitions
1951: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts;
1952: NY Contemporary Gallery, NYC;
1952, 1955, 1956, 1962: Provincetown Art...
Category
1950s Abstract Expressionist Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Paint, Mixed Media, Board, Handmade Paper
$2,000
H 19.5 in W 25.5 in
Fils I Colors DCXCIV - Large Colorful Abstract Contemporary Art on Canvas
By Raul de la Torre
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Barcelona native artist Raul de la Torre's vibrant abstract mixed media artworks pay homage to material. De La Torre allows the materials to take over during the process and collabor...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Large Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting on Rice Paper Modernist John Von Wicht
Located in Surfside, FL
John von Wicht (American, 1888-1970)
Oil on Japanese Rice Paper. Hand signed and dated in pencil lower right.
Sheet Size: 21 x 29.25 in.
Johannes Von Wicht was born in Holstein, ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel, Oil, Rice Paper
Fils I Colors DCXIII - Contemporary Colorful Abstract Mixed Media Painting
By Raul de la Torre
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Barcelona native artist Raul de la Torre's vibrant abstract mixed media artworks pay homage to textiles. De La Torre allows the materials to take over during the process and collaborates with the unexpected to create works that speak to the natures of dynamism and unity. Experimentation with different materials, textures and techniques in each of his paintings has been a point of discovery and a major part of Raul de la Torre’s work. In his Fils I Colors series he attempts to find the third dimension through the use of different materials.
This colorful 30-inch high by 24-inch wide original artwork on canvas is wired and ready to hang. The sides of this artwork are painted white and it does not require framing. It is signed and dated by the artist in the lower right corner. Free local Los Angeles area delivery. Affordable Continental U.S. and worldwide shipping. A certificate of authenticity issued by the art gallery is included.
The interaction between the artist, gravity, and the paint is important for the final result. A tilting technique permits the paint to be a major architect of the final result, giving it a life of its own. It results in infinite and timeless color combinations. In many cases, the different layers of color each represent a temporary state of mind, time, and even feelings, places and people. Some of them are embroidered forever in our memory turning to form part of our DNA. To represent the firmness and strength of that past the cotton is mixed with the paint in the works to form a unity.
Embroidery provides another layer as it creates thick shadows with organic shapes. De la Torre makes horizontal cuts on the canvas and covers these open areas using color matching cotton thread. When combined with light, these shapes create a more dynamic surface and offer different views of the work to various observers.
Raul de la Torre was born in Barcelona in 1964 and attended Massana Art School. About the Fils series, de la Torre remarks: “FILS I COLORS is an attempt to find life, movement and parts that are not static, that change in their interaction with the observer. The different combinations of colors represent different emotions and interpretations for each individual interacting with the works.”
Raul de la Torre's artworks can be found in the collections of The Four Seasons Abu Dhabi, the Tropicana Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, the Rothschild Family Collection, and varying Hilton properties. His works have been exhibited and collected worldwide.
Artspace Warehouse has been representing and exhibiting Raul de la Torre's original artworks since 2010. The gallery has been a 1stdibs partner since 2014 with consistently excellent reviews from clients worldwide. The gallery exhibits a large selection of affordable original artworks from established and emerging international artists with diverse backgrounds at high standards. Artspace Warehouse is known to provide accurate descriptions, images, reliable services, communication, and delivery.
REPRESENTATION
Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 "Credible Thread", Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
2022 "Clarifying Color", Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
2021 825 Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
2021 Pamela Walsh Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
2019 Affordable Art Fair New York
2019 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles
2019 Merritt Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2019 Art Project Paia, Maui, Hawaii
2018 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles
2016 Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong
2015 Art Project Paja, Maui, HI
2015 Affordable Art Fair Singapore
2015 FP Contemporary, Culver City, CA
2015 Off Ramp Gallery, Pasadena, CA
2015 Love Art Fair Toronto, Canada
2015 Affordable Art Fair New York, NY
2015 Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, CA
2015 LA Art Fair – Artspace Warehouse – Los Angeles, CA
2014 Red Dot Art Fair – Artspace Warehouse – Miami, FL
2014 Art Toronto – Artspace Warehouse - Canada
2014 Houston Fine Art Fair – Artspace Warehouse - TX
2014 Love Art Fair Toronto – Artspace Warehouse - Canada
2014 AAF New York – Artspace Warehouse - NY
2014 LA Art Fair – Los Angeles, CA
2013 825 Gallery – Out There 2013 - West Hollywood
2013 Bluprint Green Gallery – Modernism - Palm Springs, CA
2013 Gallery Y – Collaboration of Circles and Lines – Los Angeles, CA
2012 825 Gallery – Out There 2012 - West Hollywood, CA
2012 Artspace Warehouse – Los Angeles, CA
2012 Bruce Lurie Gallery – Los Angeles, CA
2012 Launch – Artpad San Francisco, CA
2012 825 Gallery – GEM 2012- West Hollywood
2012 Launch – Los Angeles Art Show 2012
2012 825 Gallery – Versus – West Hollywood
2011 Artspace Warehouse - Colors – Los Angeles
2011 Venice Art Walk and Auction – Venice Beach, CA
2011 Cobalt Studio – In Stitches – Chicago, IL
2011 Launch – Merry Karnowsky Gallery – Solid Stripes - Los Angeles, CA
2010 825 Gallery - Aurora - West Hollywood, CA
2010 Fresh Paint Gallery - Gathering - Culver City, CA
2010 Jon Frum Art Foundation – The Strongest of the Strange - Los Angeles, CA
2010 825 GALLERY - OUT THERE - West Hollywood
2010 VENICE ART WALK AND AUCTION - Venice Beach, CA
2010 825 GALLERY - GEM 2010 - West Hollywood
2010 GALERIA GERALDES DA SILVA - Colectiva de artistas espanhois - Porto, Portugal
2010 ARENA-1 GALLERY – Santa Monica, CA
2010 INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR PURO ARTE - Vigo, Spain
2009 ART VERSUS WALLS - Berlin, Germany
2009 ARENA-1 GALLERY - Santa Monica, CA
2009 GODO GALLERY - Highly Toxic - Glendale, CA
2009 SEYHOUN GALLERY - EUROPE NOW
2009 ROBERT DANIEL GALLERY - Tacoma, Washington
2009 Curator of the show "Europe meets America", Seyhoun Gallery
2009 SEYHOUN GALLERY - FREE IRAN – Los Angeles
2009 825 GALLERY - OUT THERE - West Hollywood
2009 SEYHOUN GALLERY - Los Angeles
2009 EL SEXTO...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Thread, Acrylic, Canvas, Mixed Media
Previously Available Items
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 ...
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
"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...
Category
1990s Abstract Expressionist Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Screen, Thread
H 23.5 in W 27 in D 2 in
"Chakaia" Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media Canvas Assemblage Painting
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Houston, TX
Contemporary abstract canvas assemblage painting by American artist Sam Gilliam. The work features a central arrangement of crumpled canvas set against a pink and purple background. The title, "Chakaia," refers to Chakaia Booker, an American female artist known for her monumental recycled tire sculptures. Signed, titled, and dated along the front central margin. Currently hung in a black floating frame with a white matting.
Dimensions Without Frame: H 20 in. x W 29 in.
Artist Biography: Sam Gilliam (1933–2022, Tupelo, Mississippi) is one of the great innovators in postwar American painting...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
H 29.38 in W 39 in D 3.63 in
Sam Gilliam "Corner"
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Sam Gilliam (b. 1933) is one of America’s most prominent and innovative abstract painters.
Initially associated with the color-field painters in Washington DC, Gilliam has had a len...
Category
1960s Abstract Sam Gilliam Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
Sam Gilliam paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Sam Gilliam paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Sam Gilliam in acrylic paint, handmade paper, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Sam Gilliam paintings, so small editions measuring 20 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Arthur Pinajian, Sherron Francis, and Todd Boppel. Sam Gilliam paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $8,400 and tops out at $31,500, while the average work can sell for $19,950.
Artists Similar to Sam Gilliam
Questions About Sam Gilliam Paintings
- What is Sam Gilliam known for?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022American artist Sam Gilliam is best known for his contributions to the Washington Color School movement through his famed ‘drape paintings’. He is credited as being the first artist to engage with idea of a draped, painted canvas without stretcher bars during the 1960s. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of expertly-vetted Sam Gilliam pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022African-American artist Sam Gilliam is considered a color field painter and a lyrical abstractionist. He is most well-known for his large works in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which featured painted canvases draped from walls and ceilings. On 1stDibs, find a variety of original artwork from top artists.
- 1stDibs ExpertAugust 15, 2024How much a Sam Gilliam painting is worth depends on its subject, condition and other factors. His 1971 painting Lady Day II was sold for over $2 million in an auction at Christie’s New York in 2018, setting a new record for the artist. The postwar American artist was an innovative Color Field painter and lyrical abstractionist, perhaps best known for working directly on draped, unprimed canvases freed from their stretcher bars as early as the mid-1960s. In 1972, he became the first Black artist to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale. If you own a Gilliam painting, a certified appraiser or knowledgeable art dealer can evaluate your piece and give you an estimate of its value. On 1stDibs, find a collection of Sam Gilliam art.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 30, 2024How much a Sam Gilliam painting is worth depends on its history, size, condition and other factors. In 2018, the artist’s acrylic on canvas painting Lady Day II sold for more than $2.1 million at auction in New York City. 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 as early as the mid-1960s. In 1972, Gilliam became the first Black artist to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale. If you own a Gilliam painting, a certified appraiser or experienced art dealer can assist you with the valuation process. Explore an assortment of Sam Gilliam art on 1stDibs.