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.
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
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
$4,800
H 102 in W 27 in D 1 in
Record, Blair Tate, Geometric woven textile wall sculpture
By Blair Tate
Located in Wilton, CT
Record, woven linen, cotton cord, 102" x 27", 2020. This abstract, geometric woven textile wall sculpture is by contemporary American fiber artist, Blair Tate. "In weaving there i...
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Cotton, Linen
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
$28,000
H 125 in W 77 in D 3 in
Pair, Red Woven Abstract Tapestry of Figures, Textile Sculpture
By Lilla Kulka
Located in Wilton, CT
Pair, sisal, wool, stilon, 125" x 77", 1989. This large figurative, abstract tapestry was done by textile artist, Lilla Kulka (b. 1946, Krakow, Poland). Artist Statement: "I creat...
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Thread
$35,000
H 46 in W 68 in D 2 in
Rocks, Post-Modern Abstract Landscape Woven Tapestry, Textile Sculpture
Located in Wilton, CT
Rocks (1985), Wool, Post-Modern Abstract Landscape Woven Tapestry, Textile Sculpture. Zofia Butrymowicz (1904-1987) was born in Warsaw, Poland. Artis...
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool
$24,000
H 55 in W 70 in D 2 in
Palisades, Contemporary Abstract Textile Wall Sculpture, Woven Tapestry
Located in Wilton, CT
Palisades, wool and sisal, 55" x 70", 1992. Contemporary Abstract Textile Wall Sculpture, Woven Tapestry. Anna Urbanowicz-Krowacka (b 1938, Poland) gra...
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Thread
Untitled
Located in San Diego, CA
Abstract bronze sculpture by artist Clyde Ball on cast concrete base. Circa 1970's, signed on base. The patina on this piece is dark, with hints of ...
Concrete, Bronze
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 38 in W 25.4 in D 2.37 in
Art in motion n°4 by Gilbert Pauli - Concrete sculpture 64x96 cm
By Gilbert Pauli
Located in Geneva, CH
"Art in motion" is a series that offers artworks working with matter; concrete, cement, plaster, mortar, and natural pigments. These works are intended to be exhibited in several way...
Concrete
$64,000
H 114 in W 60 in D 6 in
Exotica Series, Abstract Woven Tapestry by Ritzi Jacobi and Peter Jacobi
Located in Wilton, CT
Exotica Series, Abstract Woven Tapestry, Textile Sculpture. Cotton, goat hair and sisal, 114" x 60" x 6", 1975. Ritzi Jacobi (1941 - 2022) and Peter Jacob...
Fabric, Textile, Cotton, Thread
Art in motion n°2
By Gilbert Pauli
Located in Geneva, CH
Born in 1944 in the canton of Fribourg, Gilbert Pauli currently lives in Geneva, where he devotes himself to painting and sculpture, a passion he developed from his childhood. His fa...
Concrete, Steel
$5,800
H 45.5 in W 55.5 in D 2 in
Thin Green Horizon, Contemporary Geometric Tapestry by Gudrun Pagter
By Gudrun Pagter
Located in Wilton, CT
Thin Green Horizon, sisal, linen and flax, 45.5” x 55.5”, 2017. Gudrun Pagter is a Denmark-based artist that is known for creating exquisite woven tapestries. Pagter creates strong...
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Linen, Thread, Dye
$3,500
H 25.6 in W 50.01 in D 1.97 in
Indian Contemporary Art by Sumit Mehndiratta - Nailed it series No.163
By Sumit Mehndiratta
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic paint, textiles and metal on wooden panel, ed. 1/3
Metal
$5,800
H 15 in W 33.5 in D 1.5 in
"Cobalt Haze", Jo Barker, Colorful Contemporary Woven Tapestry
By Jo Barker
Located in Wilton, CT
"Cobalt Haze" Jo Barker, woven on cotton warp using wool, cotton, linen, silk, embroidery threads, 15" x 33.5" x 1.5", 2010 This colorful contemporary abstract tapestry was is by Br...
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Cotton, Linen, Silk, Thread
Clarinet
By Sam Gilliam
Located in Palm Desert, CA
acrylic on wood with aluminum Provenance: Imago Galleries, CA; Private collection, CA (acquired from above)
Aluminum