The definitive monograph of Sam Gilliam one of the great innovators in post-war American painting

An African American artist in the nation's capital at the height of the Civil Rights movement, Sam Gilliam blazed a trail with his singular artistic vision. Gilliam emerged from the Washington, DC art scene in the mid 1960s with works that disrupted established artistic norms and styles.

Relentlessly experimental and inspired by the improvisatory ethos of jazz, Gilliam's lyrical abstractions took on an increasing variety of forms, moods, and materials.

This book, made in close collaboration with the Sam Gilliam Foundation, is the first to comprehensively survey the breadth of his extraordinary career, and features never-before-seen archival materials an insightful newly commissioned texts that shine light on the artist, his life, and his work, together with examples of Gilliam's work spanning five decades.

About the Author

Ishmael Reed is an American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, playwright, editor, and publisher.

Mary Schmidt Campbell is an art historian, scholar and President Emerita of Spelman College in Atlanta.

Andria Hickey is Head of Programmes at Fogo Island Arts and Shorefast in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) was one of the great innovators in postwar American painting. He emerged from the Washington DC scene in the mid 1960s with works that elaborated upon and disrupted the ethos of Color School painting.

Reviews
'Reproduces his artworks with great detail, offering close-up shots capturing their material quality - the staining and smudging, the drips, the crinkling - and allowing for close study, resulting in a gorgeous object of a coffee table book.' - Hyperallergic



Book Information
ISBN 9781838663933
Author Ishmael Reed
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint Phaidon Press Ltd
Publisher Phaidon Press Ltd
Dimensions(mm) 320mm * 230mm * 32mm