While New York City’s art scene in the 1950s and ’60s revolved around Abstract Expressionism, multidisciplinary artist Sol LeWitt paved an alternative path, creating a prolific output of work in the genres of minimalism and, later, Conceptual art.
While LeWitt is perhaps best known for his immense “wall drawings,” he created work in a wide range of media, including drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. (However, in a characteristic rebuttal of canonical art history, he referred to these pieces as “structures.”) He also produced several texts, including the seminal Sentences on Conceptual Art (1969).
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1928, LeWitt received a BFA from Syracuse University before going to work as a graphic designer for the renowned architect I.M. Pei. He would later work at the book counter at the Museum of Modern Art, where his colleagues included fellow artists. LeWitt’s early exposure to architecture may well have had outsize influence on his subsequent career: He was known for the geometric nature of his work, specifically his fastidious, near-obsessive treatment of the cube, which he rendered repeatedly in various ways throughout his paintings, structures and wall drawings.
In the 1960s, LeWitt showed in several group exhibitions throughout New York and also began to experiment with three-dimensional structures, most modular riffs on the cube shape. His work was included in “Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to Be Viewed as Art,” curated by Mel Bochner, another leading exponent of Conceptualism.
Later, LeWitt debuted his now-iconic wall drawings, creating work directly on the walls of galleries and show spaces, beginning with pioneering gallerist Paula Cooper’s inaugural show in 1968. The wall drawings became a prime example of LeWitt’s philosophical approach to art, with their installation often carried out by museum staff or curators following precise instructions from the artist.
“The idea,” the artist once said, “becomes a machine that makes the art.” LeWitt continued to produce work until his death in 2007.
Find a collection of original Sol LeWitt art on 1stDibs.
$18,000 / item
Coffee Table by Sol LeWitt
By Sol LeWitt
Located in Jersey City, NJ
Coffee table designed 1981, black walnut with 3/8" glass top Measures: 18½" x 48" x 48" (46.4 x 121.9 x 121.9 cm) Stamped “Certificate of Authenticity” included. Object descr...
Walnut
Minimalist Brazilian Coffee Table 'Frame' by Samuel Lamas
By Samuel Lamas
Located in Brasilia, DF
Frame Coffee Table by Samuel Lamas, 2022 Introducing the award-winning Frame Coffee Table, a masterpiece of minimalist design that seamlessly blends steel and glass. Conceptualized ...
Steel
Minimalist Brazilian Coffee Table 'Frame' by Samuel Lamas
By Samuel Lamas
Located in Brasilia, DF
This award-winning minimalist steel and glass showcase table is designed within architectural and geometric reasoning. With square DNA, four stair-shape...
Steel
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
H 17 in Dm 35 in
Round Marble Coffee Table, Travertine Coffee Table, Stone Center Table
Located in İnegöl, TR
TRAVERTINE STONE COFFEE TABLE Type of Stone: Travertine Dimensions: 40" Diameter Leg Model: Travertine Customizable: Available! Production Time: 3-4 Weeks Shipping Cost: Free! Packa...
Stone, Marble
$2,457
H 16.54 in W 47.25 in D 23.63 in
Coffee Table by José Espinho for Estoril Sol Hotel, Model Export, 1970's
By José Espinho 1, Olaio
Located in Lisboa, PT
This exquisite coffee table, designed by José Espinho and produced by Móveis Sousa Braga and Móveis Olaio in Portugal, is a prime example of 1970s Portuguese design. The "Model Expor...
Wood
$3,120Sale Price|20% Off
H 15 in W 36 in D 36 in
Rosso Levanto Glass Marble Coffee Table - Handmade Coffee Table
Located in İnegöl, TR
ROSSO LEVANTO GLASS SQUARE COFFEE TABLE Type of Marble: Rosso Levanto Dimensions: 36" x 36" x 15" Leg Model: Rosso Levanto Marble Customizable: Available! Production Time: 3-4 Weeks...
Stone, Marble
$3,765Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 11.82 in W 37.01 in D 37.01 in
“Fit Table” Travertine Marble Minimalist Coffee Table by Aparentment
By Josep Vila Capdevila
Located in Terrassa, Catalonia
The Fit Table is a minimalist style coffee table made of treated Travertine marble. This coffee table is composed by five marble pieces, all of them assemble...
Marble, Travertine
$1,900 / item
H 11.82 in W 47.25 in D 47.25 in
Minimalist brazilian coffee table "Julie" by Samuel Lamas
By Samuel Lamas
Located in Brasilia, DF
Introducing the Julie Coffee Table by Lamas Design, a masterpiece of contemporary design that masterfully blends geometry, aesthetics, and sustainability. The circular tabletop, feat...
Steel
B&B Italia Michel Coffee Table by Antonio Citterio
By Antonio Citterio, B&B Italia
Located in Basildon, London
Introducing the Michel Coffee table by B&B Italia, a true classic of luxury furniture. Crafted with precision and attention to detail, this coffee table features a sleek and mode...
Metal
Minimalist Brazilian Coffee Table `Jamile` by Samuel Lamas
By Samuel Lamas
Located in Brasilia, DF
Jamile Coffee Table by Samuel Lamas, 2022 Introducing the Jamile Coffee Table, a minimalist masterpiece that embodies the architectural and geometric elegance of modern Brazilian de...
Steel
Zafal 52" Coffee Table, Minimalist Coffee Table
By Sun at Six
Located in San Jose, CA
Sharp lines are the focus. We have both a dining and coffee table version of this sculptural centerpiece. Bold and graphic but understated enough to fit many spaces, this one took a ...
Ash
Zinc Coffee Table Curva
By Cultivado em Casa
Located in Floresta, MG
A common item in steel houses, the 180º curve is the starting point for the development of the collection. Using this element of industrial origin and organic format, we seek to crea...
Steel, Zinc
$2,118 / item
H 10.04 in Dm 25.6 in
“Brass Coffee Table M” White Carrara Marble Minimalist Coffee Table
By Josep Vila Capdevila
Located in Terrassa, Catalonia
The Marblelous Coffe Table Medium is a minimalist style low table consisting of a treated Carrara marble base and four solid brass legs joined together by silver welded solid brass c...
Carrara Marble, Marble, Brass