Sol LeWitt, born Hartford, CT 1928-died New York City 2007
Medium:
assembled and painted balsa wood
Dimensions:
11 5/8 x 22 3/4 x 11 5/8 in. (29.4 x 57.9 x 29.5 cm)
Type:
Sculpture-Maquette
Date:
1979
Topic:
Abstract\geometric
Study\sculpture model
General Services Administration\Art-in-Architecture Program
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program
Object number:
1979.159.44
Description:
Sol LeWitt created the sculpture One, Two, Three as a commission for the General Services Administration. In 1962 a government committee determined that fine art should be incorporated in the designs of new federal buildings, to enrich the surrounding communities. This initiative became the Art-in-Architecture Program, and LeWitt was chosen to design a sculpture for the plaza of the James M. Hanley Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Syracuse, New York. LeWitt presented this maquette of his proposed sculpture to the GSA's Design Review Panel in 1979. The final piece was constructed from painted aluminum and is twenty-nine feet long.
"Color, surface, texture, and shape only emphasize the physical aspects of the work. Anything that calls attention to and interests the viewer in the physicality is a deterrent to our understanding of the idea." Sol LeWitt, Christian Science Monitor, August 1978
Sol LeWitt, American, b. Hartford, Connecticut, 1928–2007
Medium:
Painted wood
Dimensions:
60 x 120 x 60 in. (152.4 x 304.8 x 152.4 cm)
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
1985
Credit Line:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Thomas M. Evans, Jerome L. Greene, Joseph H. Hirshhorn, and Sydney and Frances Lewis Purchase Fund, 1985
Accession Number:
85.9
Published References:
ELLEGOOD, ANNE and JOANNA BURTON. The Uncertainty of Objects and Ideas: Recent Sculpture (Washington, DC: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, 2006), ill. p. 79; p. 80.
Sol LeWitt, American, b. Hartford, Connecticut, 1928–2007
Medium:
Black pencil on wall
Dimensions:
dimensions variable
Type:
Drawing
Date:
1969
Credit Line:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Joseph H. Hirshhorn Purchase Fund, 2007. The Panza Collection.
Accession Number:
07.65
Provenance:
Dr. Giuseppe Panza, Massagno, Switzerland, to 27 September 2007
Joseph H. Hirshhorn Purchase Fund, 2007. The Panza Collection.
Exhibition History:
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. The Panza Collection, 23 October 2008-11 January 2009, catalogue by Evelyn C. Hankins and Giuseppe Panza, p. 25; ill. pp. 24, 56-57.
Published References:
UNSIGNED. The Panza Collection (Washington, DC: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, 2008), ill. [exhibition brochure]
Oral history interview with Sol LeWitt, 1974 July 15
Interviewee:
LeWitt, Sol 1928-2007
Interviewer:
Cummings, Paul
Subject:
Candido, Anthony 1924-
Flavin, Dan 1933-
Kerkam, Earl 1891-1965
Muybridge, Eadweard 1830-1904
Syracuse University Students
Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)
Physical description:
Transcript: 75 p
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Place:
United States
Date:
1974
1974 July 15
20th century
Topic:
Abstract expressionism
Minimal sculpture
Sculpture, Modern
Graphic artists
Sculptors
Local number:
AAA
AAA lewitt74
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website
Notes:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformated in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hrs., 6 min
Sol Lewitt (1928-2007) was a sculptor and draftsman of Italy and New York
Summary:
An interview of Sol LeWitt conducted 1974 July 15, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art
LeWitt speaks of his studies at Syracuse University, the Tiffany Foundation award for his lithograph, odd jobs, his work for magazines and the graphics department of I. M. Pei's firm, travel in Europe, his army service, graphic design work, typography, and abstract expressionism
He discusses his job at the Museum of Modern Art, influences upon his work, his interest in film and the photographs of Eadward Muybridge, and exhibitions at the Dwan, Daniels, and Kaymar Galleries. LeWitt comments on his change from metal to wood sculpture; conceptual, minimal and post-minimal art; series and systems; his wall drawings; torn paper and folded paper "drawings"; prints and etchings; music and books; and the exploitation of art and artists. He recalls Anthony Candido, Dan Flavin, Earl Kerkam, and others
Known as one of the leading conceptualist and minimalist artists of the postwar period, Sol LeWitt created a vocabulary of form that derived from squares, cubes, and lines. Repetition, sequences, and variations were integral to his imagery. He frequently established rules by which an image would be created, leaving the actual execution to his assistants.
The series Wavy Brushstrokes is notable for its curvilinear movement and free-form strokes. In contrast to the geometric forms and monochromatic tones that characterized much of his earlier work, LeWitt explored brilliant color combinations in his wall drawings and prints toward the end of his career. For this sequence of images, LeWitt began with a matrix of gestural lines printed sequentially. In the second, third, and fourth images of the set, he used the identical matrix of lines, but printed different colors in a different order, resulting in transparent overlays and evocative combinations.
Known as one of the leading conceptualist and minimalist artists of the postwar period, Sol LeWitt created a vocabulary of form that derived from squares, cubes, and lines. Repetition, sequences, and variations were integral to his imagery. He frequently established rules by which an image would be created, leaving the actual execution to his assistants.
The series Wavy Brushstrokes is notable for its curvilinear movement and free-form strokes. In contrast to the geometric forms and monochromatic tones that characterized much of his earlier work, LeWitt explored brilliant color combinations in his wall drawings and prints toward the end of his career. For this sequence of images, LeWitt began with a matrix of gestural lines printed sequentially. In the second, third, and fourth images of the set, he used the identical matrix of lines, but printed different colors in a different order, resulting in transparent overlays and evocative combinations.
Known as one of the leading conceptualist and minimalist artists of the postwar period, Sol LeWitt created a vocabulary of form that derived from squares, cubes, and lines. Repetition, sequences, and variations were integral to his imagery. He frequently established rules by which an image would be created, leaving the actual execution to his assistants.
The series Wavy Brushstrokes is notable for its curvilinear movement and free-form strokes. In contrast to the geometric forms and monochromatic tones that characterized much of his earlier work, LeWitt explored brilliant color combinations in his wall drawings and prints toward the end of his career. For this sequence of images, LeWitt began with a matrix of gestural lines printed sequentially. In the second, third, and fourth images of the set, he used the identical matrix of lines, but printed different colors in a different order, resulting in transparent overlays and evocative combinations.
