Sam Gilliam

American, 1933 - 2022

Sam Gilliam arrived in Washington, DC, in 1962, and immersed himself in the artistic community. Associated with the Washington Color School and inspired by color field painting, he developed the distinctive style of lyrical abstraction.

Gilliam challenged conventional ideas about artistic form. His groundbreaking “drape” paintings, in which the canvas hangs from ceilings or walls like fabric, were a significant contribution to contemporary art. In 1972, he became the first African American artist to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale.

As an African American artist during the 1960s, Gilliam faced criticism for not overtly addressing political and social issues in his abstract works. But he was committed to abstraction and to pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.

Explore Selected Works

See all 24 works of art
Sam Gilliam, Wayne Crothers, Experimental Printmaking Institute, Untitled, 2004, cut and sewn color relief prints on wove paper, fabric, and felt, Gift of Jon D. Smith, Jr., Harold and Janet Tague, and Riley Temple, 2008.82.1.3

Untitled

Sam Gilliam, Wayne Crothers, Experimental Printmaking Institute · 2004 · cut and sewn color relief prints on wove paper, fabric, and felt ·  Accession ID  2008.82.1.3

Sam Gilliam, Lou Stovall, The Workshop, Inc., ARS, 2003, color screenprint on wove paper, Gift of Lou and Di Stovall, 2003.112.1

ARS

Sam Gilliam, Lou Stovall, The Workshop, Inc. · 2003 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2003.112.1

Wayne Crothers, Experimental Printmaking Institute, Quentin Mosley, Allan Edmunds, John Dowell, Kay WalkingStick, Bodo Korsig, Grace Hartigan, Emma Amos, Various Artists, Ian Short, Robert Beckman, John Phillips, Curlee Raven Holton, Faith Ringgold, Sam Gilliam, David C. Driskell, Richard Anuszkiewicz, Master Artists Master Printmakers, 2003 - 2004, portfolio of fifteen prints with two title pages, two colophons, and one photo-documentation page, Gift of Jon D. Smith, Jr., Harold and Janet Tague, and Riley Temple, 2008.82.1.1-15

Master Artists Master Printmakers

Wayne Crothers, Experimental Printmaking Institute, Quentin Mosley, Allan Edmunds, John Dowell, Kay WalkingStick, Bodo Korsig, Grace Hartigan, Emma Amos, Various Artists, Ian Short, Robert Beckman, John Phillips, Curlee Raven Holton, Faith Ringgold, Sam Gilliam, David C. Driskell, Richard Anuszkiewicz · 2003 - 2004 · portfolio of fifteen prints with two title pages, two colophons, and one photo-documentation page ·  Accession ID  2008.82.1.1-15

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Rainbows Near

Sam Gilliam · 1998 · acrylic on sculptured wood panels ·  Accession ID  2022.148.3

Sam Gilliam, Lou Stovall, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Niagara on the Potomac, 1995, color screenprint on Rising wove paper, Corcoran Collection (Gift of the artist), 2015.19.3017

Niagara on the Potomac

Sam Gilliam, Lou Stovall, Corcoran Gallery of Art · 1995 · color screenprint on Rising wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.19.3017

Sam Gilliam, Robert Franklin, Brandywine Workshop and Archives, Pretty Boxes, 1993, color offset lithograph and screenprint on four joined sheets of wove Arches paper, Gift of Funds from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, 2023.22.16

Pretty Boxes

Sam Gilliam, Robert Franklin, Brandywine Workshop and Archives · 1993 · color offset lithograph and screenprint on four joined sheets of wove Arches paper ·  Accession ID  2023.22.16

Sam Gilliam, Horizon Squeeze in the Sky, 1991, acrylic on canvas and enamel on metal construction on wood panel, with draped polypropylene, Gift of Doctor John and Donna D. Fraiche and Fraiche/Blood Families, 2025.6.1

Horizon Squeeze in the Sky

Sam Gilliam · 1991 · acrylic on canvas and enamel on metal construction on wood panel, with draped polypropylene ·  Accession ID  2025.6.1

Sam Gilliam, In Celebration, 1987, 35-color screenprint on heavy wove paper, Gift of the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program, 1987.46.1

In Celebration

Sam Gilliam · 1987 · 35-color screenprint on heavy wove paper ·  Accession ID  1987.46.1

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Bowling Green

Sam Gilliam · 1976 · color collagraph with collage on multicolored, handmade paper ·  Accession ID  2014.136.216

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Scrub

Sam Gilliam · 1976 · acrylic on canvas with collage ·  Accession ID  2015.19.168