Main Hall > Northside > Sam Gilliam
Sam Gilliam
Born in 1933 in Mississippi and raised in Louisville, Sam Gilliam was a groundbreaking African American artist whose work gained attention during the Civil Rights movement in Washington, D.C. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Louisville, becoming the first African American artist to represent the U.S. at the Venice Biennale in 1972. Known for his innovative Drape paintings, Gilliam disrupted tradition by suspending painted canvases without stretchers from ceilings and walls. His work has been exhibited globally, from Basel, Switzerland, to New York City, London, England, and the Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Continuously experimenting and inspired by jazz, Gilliam’s dynamic abstractions left a profound and lasting impact on the world of art.
Born in 1933 in Mississippi and raised in Louisville, Sam Gilliam was a groundbreaking African American artist whose work gained attention during the Civil Rights movement in Washington, D.C. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Louisville, becoming the first African American artist to represent the U.S. at the Venice Biennale in 1972. Known for his innovative Drape paintings, Gilliam disrupted tradition by suspending painted canvases without stretchers from ceilings and walls. His work has been exhibited globally, from Basel, Switzerland, to New York City, London, England, and the Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Continuously experimenting and inspired by jazz, Gilliam’s dynamic abstractions left a profound and lasting impact on the world of art.
Sam Gilliam
Born in 1933 in Mississippi and raised in Louisville, Sam Gilliam was a groundbreaking African American artist whose work gained attention during the Civil Rights movement in Washington, D.C. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Louisville, becoming the first African American artist to represent the U.S. at the Venice Biennale in 1972. Known for his innovative Drape paintings, Gilliam disrupted tradition by suspending painted canvases without stretchers from ceilings and walls. His work has been exhibited globally, from Basel, Switzerland, to New York City, London, England, and the Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Continuously experimenting and inspired by jazz, Gilliam’s dynamic abstractions left a profound and lasting impact on the world of art.