Sam Gilliam
| Sam Gilliam | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 30, 1933 Tupelo, Mississippi |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Louisville |
| Movement | Washington Color School |
Sam Gilliam (born November 30, 1933) is a Color Field painter and lyrical abstractionist artist. Gilliam, an African American, is associated with the Washington Color School, a group of Washington, D.C. artists that developed a form of abstract art from color field painting in the 1950s and 1960s. His works have also been described as belonging to Abstract Expressionism and Lyrical Abstraction. He works on stretched, draped and wrapped canvas, and adds sculptural 3D elements. He is recognized as the first artist to introduce the idea of a draped, painted canvas hanging without stretcher bars around 1965, which was a major contribution to the Color Field School.
In his more recent work, Gilliam has worked with polypropylene, computer generated imaging, metallic and iridescent acrylics, handmade paper, aluminum, steel, plywood and plastic.
Sam Gilliam was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, the seventh of eight children born to Sam and Estery Gilliam. The Gilliams moved to Louisville, Kentucky shortly after Sam was born. His father worked on the railroad, and his mother cared for the large family. As a child, Gilliam recalled wanted to be a cartoonist. In 1951, Gilliam graduated from Central High School in Louisville. He received his bachelor's (1951) and master's degree (1961) of Fine Arts at the University of Louisville. In 1955, Gilliam had his first solo exhibition at the University of Louisville. Gilliam also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. Gilliam also taught art in public schools. In 1962, Gilliam moved to Washington, D.C. where he has lived ever since.
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