Sam Gilliam
American, 1933
Sam Gilliam is an American abstract painter associated with the Washington Color School. He was born on November 30, 1933, in Tupelo, Mississippi and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Gilliam studied at the University of Louisville and later earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Louisville's Hite Art Institute.
Gilliam's work is known for its use of color and experimentation with materials. He is particularly famous for his "drape" paintings, which he began creating in the late 1960s. These works consist of large, unstretched canvases that are draped, folded, and hung from ceilings or walls. The drape paintings challenge traditional notions of painting as a flat, two-dimensional surface.
Gilliam's work has been exhibited widely both in the United States and internationally. He has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions at museums including the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland. In 1972, he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale. In 2017, he was awarded the Venice Biennale's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
Gilliam's work is known for its use of color and experimentation with materials. He is particularly famous for his "drape" paintings, which he began creating in the late 1960s. These works consist of large, unstretched canvases that are draped, folded, and hung from ceilings or walls. The drape paintings challenge traditional notions of painting as a flat, two-dimensional surface.
Gilliam's work has been exhibited widely both in the United States and internationally. He has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions at museums including the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland. In 1972, he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale. In 2017, he was awarded the Venice Biennale's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
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