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
$3,000
H 15.75 in W 19.69 in D 7.09 in
Yin Sculpture: Sea Seeds Series, Abstract Handcrafted Porcelain&Textile
By Olga Radionova
Located in Zofingen, AG
Yin — from the Seeds of the Sea series — embodies the feminine essence in its purest form: receptive, fluid, and quietly powerful. Smooth, white scales flow over a luminous crimson c...
Porcelain, Textile, Acrylic
$1,300
H 11.82 in W 7.09 in D 7.09 in
"Smile 2.0" Abstract Sculpture, Textile & Wood, Handmade, 30x18 cm
By Olga Radionova
Located in Zofingen, AG
This series of sculptures is called Emotional States. It was created in 2023 in Kyiv (Ukraine). I lived and worked all year in my hometown in the middle of a Big war. I experienced a...
Textile, Wood, Acrylic
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
$26,000
H 80 in W 39 in D 1 in
Kasuri Panel 145, Japanese Silk Textile Wall Hanging by Jun Tomita
Located in Wilton, CT
This silk ikat textile wall hanging is by Japanese fiber artist, Jun Tomita.
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Silk
$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
$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
Bow-White
By Masakazu Kobayashi
Located in Wilton, CT
"[Masakazu Kobayashi's] woven Waves in dyed threads rank[s] among the most perfect in aesthetic effectiveness ever produced by contemporary weaving….This Japanese way of conjuring up such transparency with threads, of perceiving the thread itself as something creative is highly artistic. They celebrate aesthetic beauty in a way no one can elude.” From “Textile Art and the Avant-garde,” Erika Billeter (Contemporary Textile Art: the Collection of the Pierre Pauli...
Metal
$9,700
H 99.5 in W 65.25 in D 1 in
Sound of the Fjord, Contemporary Scandinavian Woven Textile, by Åse Ljones
By Åse Ljones
Located in Wilton, CT
Åse Ljones’ hand-embroidered tapestry Sound on the Fjord reflects Ljones’ upbringing on a small rural farm, where sea and nature were close by. Ljones start...
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Thread
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
$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
$5,016
H 39.38 in W 25.99 in D 13.78 in
Vivian Alarcón Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media Glass Wall Sculpture
By Vivian Alarcon
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Textile, Glass
$4,400Sale Price|20% Off
H 18 in W 9.5 in D 9 in
1763 Study #1, Matt Devine, Steel/Powdercoat/Concrete Base (Indoors/Outdoors)
By Matt Devine
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Matt Devine 1763 Study #1 Steel w/ Powdercoat on Concrete Base (Indoors/Outdoors) 18" x 9.5" x 9" Matt Devine is a self-taught sculptor working with steel, aluminum and bronze. Bor...
Concrete, Steel, Stainless Steel
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