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American artist Sam Gilliam (November 30, 1933 – June 25, 2022) produced thousands of paintings, sculptures, prints, and works of art in various mediums throughout his career. [1] Below are chronological, though incomplete, lists of works by Gilliam.
Gilliam's artistic practice encompassed and often blurred the lines between painting, sculpture, printmaking, and installation art. [2] Many of Gilliam's key artistic achievements and styles are premised on combining elements of painting and sculpture in particular, including his Drape paintings on canvas that are often installed like free-hanging fabric sculptures, his Slice paintings on canvas displayed on sculptured stretcher bars that extend the paintings several inches off the wall, and his extensive series of painted wood and metal constructions. [2] [3] As such, it can be difficult to neatly categorize works by Gilliam into these distinct branches of visual art; these lists do not attempt to divide Gilliam's practice between sculpture and painting, instead sorting painted and sculptural works into categories according to the base material of the work (e.g., painted canvas, painted metal, etc.), along with the installation method (e.g., stretched, mounted, etc.). Works primarily created with printmaking techniques are listed separately. Non-extant works or works presumed to be destroyed - including several of Gilliam's site-responsive Drape installations - are also listed in a separate section at the end of these lists. Maquettes are listed directly below the work they were modeled for, regardless of medium.
Descriptions of mediums and work dimensions are primarily sourced from the print or digital museum and gallery catalogues of Gilliam's exhibitions and public collection databases of museums and galleries that own his works. When discrepancies exist between a collection's description of an individual work's materials or size and a published catalogue's description of the materials or size, this article defers to the collection's description. Public collections are listed where known; works in unknown or private collections are listed without collections and may be owned by the artist's estate.
Includes unstretched painted canvas and canvas alternatives (e.g., nylon, fabric, etc.), and unstretched canvas installed with physical objects, including sawhorses, metal beams, and stones.
Includes paintings on canvas with individual mixed media elements, including metal, fabric, and collage.
Includes works with painted canvas collaged or mounted to metal, plastic, or wood, as well as freestanding or wall-based 3-dimensional painted constructions of all sizes, stained wood sculptures, and mosaic tile work. One work on this list - Library Stars/Library Obelisk - comprises an unpainted, patinated metal sculpture.
Includes framed or unframed, and mounted or unmounted paintings on paper
Includes editioned prints made with any method or technique, prints in variable editions, monotype prints, and unique mixed media prints on paper, canvas, fabric, or veneer with paint or collage.
Includes prints on metal, wood, and plastic and 3-dimensional print constructions
Gilliam created and exhibited works throughout his career that he would later dismantle and either sell as smaller pieces, destroy, or reconstitute into other works, and several of his commissioned installations have been dismantled or destroyed following renovations or construction. Works are included in this category regardless of their medium. These include temporary public installations that the artist is recorded to have reclaimed, site-specific installations, and destroyed works.
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