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 originating several groundbreaking techniques such as removing the canvas from the stretcher and draping his paintings.
Born in Mississippi, Gilliam studied at the University of Louisville and later worked in Washington D.C. with the Washington Colour School among artists such as Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland.
With a focus on structure and materiality, experimentation was the only constant in Gilliam's practice. He pushed mediums to their boundaries, blurring the contexts in which they typically exist. Working in Washinton, D.C., at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Gilliam rejected expectations to create figurative art that addressed inequality or prioritized representation.
This unique work is exemplary of his explorative curiosity and dedication to unconventional approaches. Made with an actual fragment of the Berlin Wall, the title of this work refers to the day the Wall fell.
Gilliam painted on the fragment in his lyrical and vibrant style. By painting on this cement block, Gilliam is continuing and paying tribute to the art that adorned the Wall as a symbol of protest and expression before its fall.
This work is an outstanding example of Gilliam’s affinity for experimentation, and dedication to creating and defining art's role in unstable or changing times.
Today, Gilliam's work can be found in the permanent collections of institutions around the world. He has held solo exhibitions at MoMA (New York City), The Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.), and Kunstmuseum Basel (Switzerland).
Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto gallery.
"Reckoning 11-9-89"
1991
Painted concrete block (from the Berlin Wall)
Signed, titled, and dated on the underside
7.5"H 7.5"W 4"D (work)
Very good condition
Provenance: the collection of Dr. Necia Harkless
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