Lewitt is regarded as a founder of both minimal and conceptual art. Lewitts work with the square extended to his contribution to serial. Getting to know sol lewitt and working with him on the yalemass moca exhibition was a personal highlight of my tenure at this university teaching museum. One is by making decisions at each step, another by making. 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, and painting. A documentation and critical examination of sol lewitts influential incomplete open cubes. Im very interested in the whole chain of events, from the. Find an indepth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. Sol lewitt, sentences on conceptual art, in zevi, sol lewitt, 89. Our big find was conceptual artist sol lewitts beautiful conceptual wall drawings and paintings. If youre like many creative people who procrastinate and are discouraged, you will find that this book will motivate you to work. Begun in 1974, incomplete open cubes is a sophisticated and elaborate expression of conceptualist artmaking by sol lewitt, one of. Sol lewitts connection to the birth of conceptual art was crucial and in december of 1966 he participated in what was considered its first exhibition, entitled working drawings and other visible things on paper not necessarily meant to be viewed as works of art, organised by mel bochner in the new school of visual arts.
Sol lewitt stressed the idea behind his work over its execution. For anyone wholike mehas a problem with much contemporary art e. Available for sale from max lust gallery, sol lewitt, working drawings for book, location of eight points 1974, 32. Sol lewitt used lines, geometric solids, ratio, patterns, formulas, and permutations to create his modern structures and wall paintings. Susanna singer worked with sol from the mid70s on and it was her early support and information that helped give birth to this project. This structure lewitt did not use the term sculpture for his threedimensional art is made of blocks stacked. Lewitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and structures a term he. Sol lewitt executed his first wall drawing in 1968 at paula cooper gallery in new york.
During the four decades of his career, sol lewitt produced more than 1,200 wall drawings using a deliberately limited repertoire of lines and geometric shapes to create works of remarkable. Wall drawing 289 was initially conceived as a fourwall drawing. 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. Soon after, he moved with his mother, a nurse, to live with an aunt in new britain, connecticut. Many of the artists associated with minimalism fled contemporary arts urban setting as soon as they could. Lewitt had his first exhibition at the dawn gallery, new york city, in 1966. Sol lewitts connection to the birth of conceptual art was crucial and in december of 1966 he participated in what was considered its first exhibition, entitled working drawings and other visible. An open project to implement sol lewitts instructions in javascript. The working sketches, computation sheets, and diagrams for the cubes were included in the exhibition. Sol lewitt art monographs and museum exhibition catalogs. 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. While the wall drawings are sitespecific, they eschew the spectacular, immersive effects of subsequent multimedia installation art.
Sofia lewitt has been supportive, informative and inquisitive in every. Aug, 20 the location of three geometric figures three wall drawings sol lewitt galleria sperone, torino, 1974. This article considers sol lewitts wall drawings as artworks poised on the cusp of the postmedium condition of installation art. Selections from the sol lewitt collection published on apr 19, 2016 the drawing centers drawing papers, volume 126, featuring essays by claire gilman and beatrice gross. A debut presentation of minimalist pioneer sol lewitts torn and folded paper works, his brilliant extension of the parameters and definitions of drawing. Sol lewitt never prioritised one aspect of his workwall drawings, preliminary sketches and plans, prints, artists books or even sculpture over another.
An open project to implement sol lewitt s instructions in javascript. Expanding a legacy features seven wall drawings newly donated to the yale university art gallery by the artists estatea gift that makes the museums collection of sol lewitts work in this signature medium the largest in the world. Sol lewitt by bury, stephen art monthly, issue 337, june. Lewitt, sol sol lewitt artist page with links to monographs, museum. In other examples also in this book and at the exhibit are line drawings. Lewitt is best known for his largescale wall drawings, rigorous arrays of designs, shapes. Begun in 1974,incomplete open cubes is a sophisticated and elaborate expression of conceptualist artmaking by sol lewitt, one of the most influential abstract artists of his generation. Sol lewitt s most popular book is between the lines. Apr 21, 2007 fourteen wall drawings conceived by sol lewitt, all made by others following his instructions, can be seen at dia. Artists books is a touring exhibition of over 80 of lewitts books, dating from 1967 to 2002, a few years before his death. The person executing the work might be lewitt himself, or someone else.
Sol lewitt sol lewitt s art is about ideas, not form. Solomon sol lewitt was an american artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. Sol lewitt wall drawings, the cleveland museum of art, cleveland, oh sol lewitt wall drawings, westfalischer kunstverein, munster, germany sol lewitt wall drawings, alessandra bonomo, rome, italy sol lewitt wall drawings, galerie ressle, stockholm, sweden doris freedman plaza, new york, ny. Interviewing sol lewitt required a ride into the connecticut countryside, where he lives with his wife and daughters. Lewitt referred to these works as the r drawings for rip and also as hundred. With essays by nicholas baume, jonathan flatley, and pamela m. Lewitt believed that the artist was a generator of ideas, that. A wall drawing retrospective comprises 105 of lewitts largescale wall drawings, spanning the artists career from 1969 to 2007. Featuring 34 pages of drawings, the work is an early example of lewitts rigorous, algorithmic process in which a set of rules, applied to generate an image, are subsequently run through all of their permutations. He rediscovered the wall, an artistic working surface. Individually, each book is already an important record and.
Threepart variations on three different kinds of cubes 331 1967 and threepart. These works range in size from gallerysized installations to monumental outdoor pieces. These occupy nearly an acre of specially built interior walls that. Lewitt believed that the artist was a generator of ideas, that the idea itself could be the work of art. Sol lewitt has 47 books on goodreads with 224 ratings. In 1968, at the same gallery, lewitt exhibited a series of cubes in white enameled metal. The wall drawings on view represent a range of the artists techniques. Featuring 34 pages of drawings, the work is an early. 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. By this time, the conceptual artist had already been producing works of art in book form for a decade.
A documentation and critical examination of sol lewitt s influential incomplete open cubes. Sfmoma has acquired 26 working drawings for wall drawings presented in the retrospective exhibition of lewitts work at the museum. Herman melville, moby dick there are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the. Sol lewitt chose to present only the fourth wall at mass moca. The specifications for the drawings may be in the form of drawings or in terms of explicit written instructions. Sol lewitt was determined to make some art that everyone could afford and that would remain affordable. This is an artists book conceived by sol lewitt in 1981 that was ultimately. Published to accompany the landmark retrospective exhibition of sol lewitts innovative wall drawings on view for 25 years at mass moca and conceived by the yale university art gallery in collaboration with the artist before his death in april 2007, this book.
Sol lewitt prints 19701995 the museum of modern art, new york january 25 to may 7, 1996 there are several ways of constructing a work of art. The book contains the prints 331 and 3, which are identical to two drawings in the kramarsky collection. His father, a doctor and inventor, died when he was 6. The ziggurat and setback skyscraper had the greatest influence on lewitt s foursided pyramid. Sol lewitt was an iconic american artist whose work helped to establish both minimalism and conceptual art. Some of his most famous works were wall drawings for which he only provided instructions. Individually, each book is already an important record and reference source. Sofia lewitt has been supportive, informative and inquisitive in every way the project has needed and without hers and carol lewitts enthusiasm and blessing this project could never have happened.
In 1969, he started to regularly produce what he called folds, first as gifts to friends, then as works to be distributed by his dealers. Forbes takes privacy seriously and is committed to transparency. Solomon sol lewitt september 9, 1928 april 8, 2007 was an american artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. Fourteen wall drawings conceived by sol lewitt, all made by others following his instructions, can be seen at dia. 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. If you have ever been to an exhibition of lewitts wall drawings, youll agree there is. The ziggurat and setback skyscraper had the greatest influence on. 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. Saul ostrow was there a relationship between your thinking about art and john cages composition, his scoring of chance. It seems that cage was a pivotal figure to many artists of the late 50s early 60s. Sol lewitt, american artist whose work provides a link between minimalism and conceptual art.
Herman melville, moby dick there are some enterprises in which a careful. Jan 21, 2012 during the four decades of his career, sol lewitt produced more than 1,200 wall drawings using a deliberately limited repertoire of lines and geometric shapes to create works of remarkable complexity. Lewitts intention and foresight for this body of work resonates more than ever. In 1971 he added the rips, drawings made of ripped.
Sol lewitt, variations of incomplete open cube, diagram of baked enamel on aluminium sculptures, each x x incomplete open cubes by sol lewitt 1974 buy book. While the wall drawings are sitespecific, they eschew the spectacular. Sol lewitt by bury, stephen art monthly, issue 337. Since it was established in 1991, galerie thomas schultes ongoing focus has been placed on nurturing, supporting, and sustaining outstanding and inspiring artistic positions in international conceptual art. One of the leading exponents of conceptual art, sol lewitt stressed the idea behind his work over its execution. Sol lewitt was one of the founders of printed matter in 1976. Much sol lewitts work goes unnoticed not much of a web presence, and hard. This is an artists book conceived by sol lewitt in 1981 that was. With a considerable body of work spanning his entire career from 7 famous wall drawings to 15 sculptures like complex form and inverted spiraling tower up to the photo series autobiography, the. Apr 21, 2020 in 1966, sol lewitt 19282007 conceived a new type of work that he described as drawings without drawing, in which he replaced the act of drawing itself by using various ways of folding paper. Lewitts created instructions which became the works themselves.
Sol lewitt was an american artist often regarded as the founder of conceptual and minimal art. Im very interested in the whole chain of events, from the time that you think of what you are doing to the time that it is finished. Sol lewitt exhibition catalogs, books, bibliography, biography. Lewitt is best known for his largescale wall drawings, rigorous arrays of designs, shapes, grids, and colors rendered in pencil and paint in coherence with strict instructions and diagrams to be followed in executing the work. Sol lewitt 1928 2007 sol lewitt was born on september 9th, 1928 in hartford, connecticut to eastern european immigrants. Begun in 1974, incomplete open cubes is a sophisticated and elaborate expression of conceptualist artmaking by sol lewitt, one of the most influential abstract artists of his generation. Whether its a sculpture, a painting or a drawing, sol lewitts work is almost always instantly recognizable for its rigorous lines, modular. Sol lewitts most popular book is between the lines.
His prolific two and threedimensional work ranges from wall drawings over 1200 of which have been executed to hundreds of works on paper extending to structures in the form of towers, pyramids, geometric forms, and progressions. One is by making decisions at each step, another by making a system to 1 make decisions. These occupy nearly an acre of specially built interior walls that have been installedper lewitts own specificationsover three stories of a historic mill b. Dec 14, 2000 sfmoma has acquired 26 working drawings for wall drawings presented in the retrospective exhibition of lewitts work at the museum. 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. With a considerable body of work spanning his entire career from 7 famous wall. Sol lewitt working drawings for book, location of eight.