Gilliam, Sam
1933-2022 · Contribution: 1960s-2022
Visual Arts
Abstract / Color Field painting and sculpture; pioneered the 'drape' painting, large stained, unstretched canvases hung and draped from walls and ceilings, giving painting a sculptural, three-dimensional presence
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Impact on the world
Gilliam liberated painting from the rectangle, transforming the canvas into a three-dimensional, architectural medium and expanding the very definition of abstract art.
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Smithsonian American Art Museum
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