Sol lewitt america, 19282007 was one of the most influential artists of his generation. A wall drawing retrospective at the massachusetts museum of contemporary art. His father, a doctor and inventor, died when he was 6. Oral history interview with sol lewitt, 1974 july 15.
Lewitt is best known for his largescale wall drawings, rigorous arrays of designs, shapes, grids, and. Sol lewitt sfmoma san francisco museum of modern art. Sol lewitt, autobiography, 1980 collage of details that. Sol lewitt 19282007 was a sculptor and draftsman of italy and new york. Apr 28, 2014 both happened to be foreign exchange students, and getting their perspective on the art was intriguing. Patterns in naturetextures patternsbts design graphiquevine.
Autobiography is a remake of sol lewitts 1980 book autobiography. Individually, each book is already an important record and reference source. Lewitt believed that the artist was a generator of ideas, that the idea itself could be the work of art. Sep 12, 2014 solomon sol lewitt september 9, 1928 april 8, 2007 was an american artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. See available prints and multiples, works on paper, and sculpture for sale and learn about the artist. Sol lewitt ressources urban island, math art, generative art, art for art.
A work of art may be understood as a conductor from the artists mind to the viewers. Sol lewitt was an iconic american artist whose work helped to establish both minimalism and conceptual art. As one of the originators of conceptual art, sol lewitt believed in the primacy of the idea or concept in an artwork over and above its execution or aesthetic sensibility. By the middle of that decade, lewitt had rejected the dominant, psychologically charged abstract style of artmaking for impersonal, geometric forms. Sol lewitt american, 19282007 foursided pyramid, first installation 1997, fabricated 1999 concrete blocks and mortar, 458.
Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids. Lewitts created instructions which became the works themselves. Comprised of approximately twenty objects, and made possible with the cooperation of the lewitt estate, this is the. This would have made the book far more valuable as a reference for sol lewitts work. Sol lewitt had many influences from his job at the modern museum of art, where he saw works by jasper johns, frank stella and robert rauschenberg. In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work, lewitt wrote in a landmark essay in 1967. Eva hesse and sol lewitt is on view at the blanton through may 18, 2014. Sol lewitts career has been defined by a series of groundbreaking explorations into the. Like the minimalists, he often uses simple basic forms, in the belief that using complex basic forms only disrupts the unity of the whole. Sol lewitt, who has died in new york aged 78, was a founder of minimal and conceptual art styles. Lewitts reasoning explains why the recreation of the original drawing poses no threat to the integrity of the art work.
Lewitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and structures a term he preferred instead of sculptures but was prolific in a wide range of media including drawing, printmaking, photography. Sol lewitt received a bfa from syracuse university in 1949. Starting from the simple but radical new idea that an artworks concept is more important than its form, sol lewitt helped revolutionize the definition of art in the 1960s. This a a good overview of an exhibition of sol lewitt wall drawings presented in italy. A blind man can make art if what is in his mind can be passed to another mind in some tangible form, he once said. Sol lewitts most popular book is between the lines.
Soon after, he moved with his mother, a nurse, to live with an aunt in new britain, connecticut. Buried cube containing an object of importance but little value was created in 1968 by sol lewitt in conceptual art style. If the greatness of artist sol lewitt has so far escaped you, make haste to beacon, n. Sol lewitt sol lewitt was an american artist regarded as a founder of minimalism and conceptual art. During lewitts job at the modern museum of art he met fellow artists like dan flavin, robert mangold and robert ryman. With this assurance i hope to justify his confidence. Remembering sol lewitt art and design the guardian. Sol lewitts deceptively simple geometric sculptures and drawings and ecstatically colored and jazzy wall paintings established him as a lodestar of modern american art. The reproductions are reasonable for a book this price, but the instructions and advice to draftsmen for the drawings is not included. Though american conceptual artist sol lewitt 19282007 worked in.
A pioneer of conceptual art, he forged a new way of thinking about making art. Paragraphs on conceptual art sol lewitt artforum june, 1967. The original book depicted the contents of lewitts homestudio in a series of photographs, arranged in grids of nine photos to a page. Sol lewitt 74 artworks painting visual art encyclopedia. His work sculptures of white cubes, or drawings of geometric patterns. Lewitts work emerged alongside the minimalist and conceptual art movements of the 1960s, and combines qualities of both. Sol lewitt, from sentences on conceptual art 1969 fraenkel gallery is pleased to present the exhibition sol lewitt. Sol lewitts concepts and structures national gallery of art.
Paragraphs on conceptual art sol lewitt corner college. Sol lewitt sol le witt, cool patterns, print patterns. Sol lewitt isometric drawing, wall drawing, abstract drawings, technical drawing, beauty art. From the edition limited to 20 examples, signed by the artist. Solomon sol lewitt september 9, 1928 april 8, 2007 was an american artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. The book contains the prints 331 and 3, which are identical to two drawings in. Lewitt based both versions of the wall drawing on the same complex conceptual diagram.
Using my hands and collaborating with so many others to create a work of art was truly a unique and rewarding experience. This catalogue will chart the evolution of lewitts art from the sixties through to the present to. Until 2033, lewitts wall drawings are the subject of a solo exhibition titled sol lewitt. These artists are his influences because lewitt was exposed to him during his initial job in the city. Inside the creation of a sol lewitt wall drawing austins. One of the leading exponents of conceptual art, sol lewitt stressed the idea behind his work over its execution. Art the easiest way to buy and sell art online safely. Wikipedia entry introduction solomon sol lewitt september 9, 1928 april 8, 2007 was an american artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. My version reproduces reproductions of pages from lewitts book found online and in art books. Buried cube containing an object of importance but little. Sol lewitt artists books, a collaboration between art laboratory. Jan 17, 20 sol lewitt was determined to make some art that everyone could afford and that would remain affordable. Buy and sell signed multiples and original paintings at fair prices on llery. Known for his dynamic wall paintings and bold geometric sculptures, the artist was at the.
Sol lewitt 1928 2007 sol lewitt was born on september 9th, 1928 in hartford, connecticut to eastern european immigrants. Sol lewitts deceptively simple geometric sculptures and drawings and. Artists books is a touring exhibition of over 80 of lewitts books, dating from 1967 to 2002, a few years before his death. A founder of both the minimalist and conceptual art movements, lewitt made sculptures, paintings, drawings, prints, and largescale installations. Both happened to be foreign exchange students, and getting their perspective on the art was intriguing. Find more prominent pieces of photo at best visual art database. Sol lewitts instruction for wondrous walls improvised life. Sol lewitt was determined to make some art that everyone could afford and that would remain affordable.
Conceptual artists are mystics rather than rationalists. Sol lewitt artwork for sale at online auction sol lewitt. Sol lewitt chose to present only the fourth wall at mass moca. Sol lewitt artist journal, journal art, art journaling. The ziggurat and setback skyscraper had the greatest influence on lewitts foursided pyramid. Boasting a body of work that ranges from wall drawings to prints on paper and sculptures, sol lewitt was an acclaimed artist linked to the minimalism and conceptual art movements.
Sol lewitt, the bold conceptual and minimalist artist, advocated freedom and. Provenance this interview is part of the archives of american art oral history program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the united states, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others. The editor has written me that he is in favor of avoiding the notion that the artist is a kind of ape that has to be explained by the civilized critic. The drawing consists entirely of white crayon lines drawn to points drawn on the wall in a sixinch pencil grid. A very similar piece to lewitts ideals is flavins pink out of a corner to jasper johns 1963, where both artists use the viewers space and they both did not emphasize on authorship as someone else would. Sol lewitt and photography will feature the photographic work of lewitt as well as pieces by other artists that relate to lewitts conceptual practice. A wall drawing retrospective comprises 105 of lewitts largescale wall drawings, spanning the artists career from 1969 to 2007. Sol lewitt 19282007 is widely recognized as one of the most influential artists of the last halfcentury. Lewitts most notable work is arguably his wall drawings series the artist developed a rigorous. Apr 09, 2007 sol lewitts deceptively simple geometric sculptures and drawings and ecstatically colored and jazzy wall paintings established him as a lodestar of modern american art. Inside the creation of a sol lewitt wall drawing austin. Black and white stripes sol lewitt wall drawings art optical, optical illusions, op.
This ebook is published in conjunction with the exhibition. This interview is part of the archives of american art oral history program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the united states, primarily through interviews with. See more ideas about conceptual art, wall drawing and art. This structure lewitt did not use the term sculpture for his threedimensional art is made of blocks stacked and stepped back in an orderly pattern and is based. Solomon sol lewitt september 9, 1928 april 8, 2007 was an american artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism lewitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and structures a term he preferred instead of sculptures but was prolific in a wide range of media including drawing, printmaking, photography, painting, installation, and. Sol lewitt used lines, geometric solids, ratio, patterns, formulas, and permutations to create his modern structures and wall paintings. Wall drawing 289 was initially conceived as a fourwall drawing. These occupy nearly an acre of specially built interior walls that have been installedper lewitts own specificationsover three stories of a historic mill building situated at the heart of mass mocas campus. Sol lewitt has 47 books on goodreads with 228 ratings. Find an indepth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. Please check here for the latest on our covid19 virus response. Our big find was conceptual artist sol lewitts beautiful conceptual wall drawings and paintings. He made a kind of modular art, just using basic shapes, a few colors and different. He had no interest in inherent narrative or descriptive imagery.
Art brokerage is the first online fine art brokerage. Sol lewitt, paragraphs on conceptual art, in sol lewitt. The concept is the work of art, and the end result is perfunctory. Using the cube as the basis for his complex modules. Sol lewittsol lewitt began exhibiting in new york in the 1960s and would go on to become one of the most influential artists of his generation. Apr 10, 2007 sol lewitt, who has died in new york aged 78, was a founder of minimal and conceptual art styles. These occupy nearly an acre of specially built interior walls that have been installedper lewitts own specificationsover three stories of a historic mill b. Sol lewitt 19282007 was pivotal in the creation of the new radical aesthetic of the 1960s that was a revolutionary contradiction to the abstract expressionism current in the 1950s and 60s new york school. Lewitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and structures a term he preferred instead of sculptures but was prolific in a wide range of media including drawing, printmaking, photography, painting, installation and artist.
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