Skip to Content
Image of Wall Circle I
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged or downloaded.
Artist
Sam Gilliam (Primary)
Title

Wall Circle I

Date
1972
Century
20th century
Medium & Support
Acrylic on shaped canvas
Dimensions
Support: 108 x 46 in.
Style
Abstraction
Object Type
Paintings
Credit Line
Partial gift of Patricia Poteat & David Moltke-Hansen and Museum purchase
Accession Number
2010.36.01.20
Copyright
In Copyright
© Sam Gilliam / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
ON VIEW
Description

Shaped canvas with 3 separate, overlapping canvases. Painted in greens, yellows and reds. Work is composed of 3 unique objects.

Label History

Working within the tradition of postwar abstraction and inspired by the overall approach of the Washington Color School artists, a loosely knit group of innovative artists that also included Asheville native Kenneth Noland, Gilliam has consistently extended the vocabulary of abstract painting. He has had a long fascination with the physical properties of pigment and its potential to function not just as a vehicle for color but to also serve as an integral part in shaping a sculptural object. Challenging common definitions of what a painting can be, Wall Circle I uses staining, draping, cutting, and folding to create a luminous, structured form. Shaped like a cape but installed on the wall, it expands the windowlike confines of the traditional picture plane into an encompassing, vibrantly colored form.

Exhibition Title: Asheville Art Museum: An Introduction to the Collection
Label Date: 2021
Type: Catalogue Entry
Written by: Terrie Sultan

Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Keywords
abstraction , Color-field

Showing 1 of 1

The Asheville Art Museum's mission is to transform lives through art.
m

Museum Location:

2 South Pack Square
Asheville, NC 28801
P

Museum Contact

828.253.3227
mailbox@ashevilleart.org