SAM GILLIAM | Untitled

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner circa 1970

This work is in very good condition overall. Please contact the Contemporary Art Department at 212-606-7254 for the condition report. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Radiating with an inner glow, Sam Gilliam’s Untitled elevates the sensory potential of color, texture and form. Gilliam makes paint luminous, combining myriad finishes and pigments with sophisticated color transitions, mimicking the qualities of light and shadow within an abstract composition. Warmer tones rise from the bottom of the composition in a spread of red and orange, while cooler tendrils of teal and violet drip down the surface of the work, fanning out and separating in a polychrome topography. The optical dimensionality of the surface of the work mirrors that of its physical shape, which with its beveled edges, projects forward from the wall, transcending the border between painting and sculpture. In the words of Gilliam, “my work consists of solids and veils…it is constructed painting, in that it crosses the void between object and viewer, to be part of the space in front of the picture plane. It represents an act of pure passage.” Sam Gilliam