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.
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
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
$12,000
H 54 in W 66 in D 10.5 in
Summer and Winter, Mid-Century Tapestry, Woven Hanging, Textile Wall Sculpture
By Adela Akers
Located in Wilton, CT
Adela Akers (b. 1933, Santiago de Compostela, Spain) is a Spanish-born textile and fiber artist. She is Professor Emeritus (1972 to 1995) at the Tyler Scho...
Textile, Linen, Thread, Yarn, Fabric, Tapestry
Light Form 255.130
By Marc Vaux
Located in London, GB
Acrylic Edition of 35 31 x 31 x 5 cms (12 1/5 x 12 1/5 x 2 ins)
Acrylic Polymer
$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
$10,000
H 32 in W 73 in D 2 in
Landscape Transformed, Contemporary Abstract Tapestry, Textile Wall Sculpture
By Adela Akers
Located in Wilton, CT
Adela Akers (b. 1933, Santiago de Compostela, Spain) is a Spanish-born textile and fiber artist. She is Professor Emeritus (1972 to 1995) at the Tyler Scho...
Metal, Foil
$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
$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
$26,000
H 80 in W 39 in D 1 in
Kasuri Panel 145, Japanese Silk Textile Wall Hanging by Jun Tomita
By Jun Tomita
Located in Wilton, CT
This silk ikat textile wall hanging is by Japanese fiber artist, Jun Tomita.
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Silk
$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
$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
$9,000
H 33 in W 24 in D 2 in
Eclate de Braise, Mid-Century Abstract Woven Tapestry
By Mariette Rousseau-Vermette
Located in Wilton, CT
Eclate de Braise, wool, 33" x 24", 1966. This mid-century abstract woven tapestry was done by Canadian textile artist, Mariette Rousseau-Vermet...
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool
$16,000
H 92 in W 36 in D 3 in
Odchodzacy (Departure II), Figurative Abstract Tapestry, Textile Sculpture
By Lilla Kulka
Located in Wilton, CT
Odchodzacy (Departure II), wool, cotton & stilon, 92" x 36", 1993. This large figurative, abstract tapestry was done by textile artist, Lilla Kulka (b. 1946, Krakow, Poland). Arti...
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Cotton
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