Painter Sam Gilliam Remained Highly Productive in His Last Five Years, ‘He Was Talking About Freedom, Expression, and Commitment to Abstract Art’
Installation view of “Sam Gilliam: The Last Five Years” at David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibition features a symphony of drape paintings made by the artist in 2018. | Courtesy David Kordansky Gallery IN LOS ANGELES, a symphony of color-soaked canvases are suspended from the ceiling of the South Gallery at David...
Rake and Furrow: Artforum Gives Sam Gilliam Cover Treatment and Considers His Unique Approach to Abstract Painting
A FIELD OF FROSTY WHITE flecked with hues of blue, violet, green, and rose, “Foggy” (2021) by Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) graces the cover of the November 2023 edition of Artforum. Inside, an essay by Julia Bryan-Wilson explores the unique characteristics that distinguish Gilliam’s abstract paintings and connects his techniques to Black women’s labor. Gilliam is...
Lots to Watch: From Notable Collections, ‘Club 55’ by Ernie Barnes and Works by Artists Winfred Rembert, Betye Saar, and Melvin Edwards Up for Auction at Sotheby’s
MUSIC AND THE WAY it makes people feel and move is a recurring theme in the work of Ernie Barnes (1938-2009) and is on full display in a painting he started in 1990 and completed in 1994. “Club 55” was commissioned by Motown Records to mark the 10-year anniversary of the death of Marvin...
What to See in New York: 5 Gallery Exhibitions Showcasing Works by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Awol Erizku, Sam Gilliam, Chase Hall, and Christopher Myers
SOLO EXHIBITIONS dedicated to Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Awol Erizku, Sam Gilliam, Chase Hall, and Christopher Myers are among the must-see gallery shows currently on view in New York. Spanning three generations, the artists represent an array of practices and mediums, from painting, sculpture, and neon to stained-glass and quilting. Akunyili Crosby, who has exhibited...
Culture Talk: Lisa Edmiston on Auctioning Major Artworks by Norman Lewis, Sam Gilliam, and Romare Bearden From Estate of Her Father, a Black Gallery Owner in Harlem
MAJOR PAINTINGS by Norman Lewis, Sam Gilliam, Charles Alston, Edward Bannister, and Romare Bearden are among the auction highlights at Bonhams in New York this week. The premium works by key figures of 19th and 20th century African American art represent the legacy of a family and a longstanding Black-owned gallery. Featured in the...
Latest News in Black Art: Innovative Painter Sam Gilliam Has Died, Artist Vaughn Spann in Architectural Digest, Columbus, Ga. Celebrates Artist Alma Thomas & More
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Portrait of Sam Gilliam (1933-2022). | Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, and Pace Gallery. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen Studio Lives The innovative abstract artist Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) died on June 25 at...
Latest News in Black Art: Veronica Ryan and Ingrid Pollard Make Turner Prize Shortlist, Major Kerry James Marshall Painting Headed to Auction, Museum Surveys of Sam Gilliam and Frank Bowling Coming Soon & More
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Veronica Ryan is one of four artists shortlisted for the 2022 Turner Prize. | © Veronica Ryan. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. Photo: Steven Probert Awards & Honors On April 12, Tate Liverpool...
On View: See Images From ‘Prints from the Brandywine Workshop and Archives: Creative Communities’ Exhibition at Harvard Art Museums
Installation view of “Prints from the Brandywine Workshop and Archives: Creative Communities” at Harvard Art Museums On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions THROUGH COLLABORATION AND EXPERIMENTATION, master printers and a diverse slate of artists have been producing new works at Brandywine Workshop and Archives for half a century. The Philadelphia organization was...
Major Artworks by Romare Bearden, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Amy Sherald, Stanley Whitney, Jacob Lawrence & More Highlighted at ‘Evening’ Auctions in New York
IN NEW YORK, MAJOR AUCTION HOUSES lined up a variety of significant works by critically recognized Black artists for their modern and contemporary art Evening Auctions, with estimates ranging from the high six figures to multiple millions. Several lots carried estimates that if reached would result in new artist records at auction. The premium...
Latest News in Black Art: Storm King Center Commissions Martin Puryear Sculpture, Mellon-Funded Report Assesses U.S. Monuments, Rashod Taylor Wins Arnold Newman Photography Prize & More
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Scale model of Martin Puryear’s permanent commission for Storm King Art Center. | © Martin Puryear Studio. Photo by SandenWolff Commissions Storm King Art Center commissioned Martin Puryear to create a site-specific sculpture for...
On View: ‘Sam Gilliam: Selections’ at Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla.
“Sam Gilliam: Selections” at the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla. On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions AN IMPRESSIVE SURVEY of Sam Gilliam at the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla., was spearheaded by a local African American collector. Warren Colbert, a longstanding member of the museum’s board of directors...
The Week in Black Art, March 15-21, 2021: Art Institute of Chicago Hires New Education Director, New Orleans Museum Acquires Wangechi Mutu Sculpture, Major Lynette Yiadom-Boakye Painting Headed to Auction
This post will be updated with the latest news in Black art throughout the week Ashley Harris is heading up marketing at Mana Culture. | Photo by Angela Pham March 20, 2021 Ashley Harris Joins Mana Culture Ashley Harris was appointed head of marketing, Arts and Culture for Mana Culture based...
Sam Gilliam on His New Work at Pace Gallery: ‘I Am Trying to Express Something That is Contemporary’
THE SIX-DECADE CAREER of Sam Gilliam has been defined by a commitment to color and a penchant for invention, innovation, and charting his own path. In the mid-1960s, Gilliam developed two new formats for presenting his work. He began wrapping his canvases on top of frames, creating his signature Beveled-Edge paintings. Then he removed...
As New Coronavirus Spreads, Art Fairs and Galleries Move to Digital Experiences ‘In Response to Current Times’
PUBLIC LIFE has come to a virtual standstill in much of the United States and parts of Europe and Asia, amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Museums and art galleries are closed. Major events are canceled and art fairs are among the casualties. Earlier this month, The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in...
Hirshhorn Museum Plans First U.S. Retrospective of Sam Gilliam in 15+ Years
“Light Depth” (1969) by Sam Gilliam THE HIRSHHORN MUSEUM and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., plans an expansive look at the six-decade career of pioneering abstractionist Sam Gilliam. Exploring key moments in his innovative painting practice, the retrospective will open at the Smithsonian museum on the National Mall in spring 2022. “Inspired by the...
Renowned Washington Painter Sam Gilliam Has Joined Pace Gallery, For the First Time He is Represented in New York
OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, Sam Gilliam has been increasingly recognized as one of the most innovative and groundbreaking painters to emerge in second half of the 20th century. His lyrical, color-soaked abstractions expand the definition of painting. Practicing for more than six decades, Gilliam has had relative success throughout his career, yet he...
Whitney Museum’s ‘Spilling Over’ Exhibition Celebrates Color and Calls to Mind an Earlier Moment in Art History
INSTALLED ON THE EIGHTH FLOOR of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, a group exhibition celebrates color. “Spilling Over: Painting Color in the 1960s” considers the technical, formal, and substantive possibilities of painting with bold, neon, and saturated hues. Drawing exclusively on the Whitney Museum’s collection, the show brings together 18...
Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated Sale Offered Look at Rarely Seen Works by Faith Ringgold, Henry Taylor, Robert Colescott, Romare Bearden, Jack Whitten & More
AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS figured prominently in Sotheby’s recent Contemporary Curated auction. Works by 32 African American artists were offered, some rarely if ever shown publicly including a 2002 portrait of Malcolm X by Henry Taylor acquired directly from the artist and a pair of Robert Colescott interior scenes that give a nod to Roy...
Latest News in African American Art: Eric Mack Installation Vanishes, Harvard Sued Over Slave Photographs, Frieze Sculptures by Nick Cave, Hank Willis Thomas, and More
Installation view of “Halter” (2019) by Eric N. Mack at Desert X The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related black culture: Harvard Sued for Profiting From Images of Slaves Tamara Lanier of Norwich, Conn., is suing Harvard for “wrongful...
A Huge Kara Walker Triptych is on Display in Ari Emanuel’s L.A. Home, Works by Mark Bradford and Sam Gilliam Hang Nearby
A 2014 triptych by Kara Walker dominates the living area of Ari Emanuel’s home. A painting by Mark Bradford is on display to the left. THE ART-FILLED HOME of talent power broker Ari Emanuel is for sale. Emanuel is co-CEO of Endeavor, the talent and entertainment agency, The contemporary-style home in the Mandeville Canyon...
