Image via Complex Original
If you don't recognize the name, you will definitely recognize his work. Sol LeWitt is one of the most influential contemporary artists to date and one of the original founders of both Minimalism and Constructivism. His large-scale drawings, powerful walls of lines and colors, have had a lasting impact on the visual language of many artists today. The meticulous design of his two-dimensional works also translates to his geometric sculptures, often stripped-down cubes and simplistic grids that speak to essential forms.
Tomorrow, Pace Gallery will open a show titled "Sol LeWitt: Horizontal Progressions." The exhibition includes seven of the artist's structures (a word he preferred to sculptures) from 1991. Familiarize yourself with the artist behind these unique works with 15 Things to Know About Sol LeWitt.
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He was one of the founders of both Minimalism and Constructivism.
Sol LeWitt has been credited as one of the original thinkers behind both Conceptual and Minimalist art due to his extensive work in geometrical drawings and structures as well as his focus on expressing essential forms. Minimalist art focuses on the bare essence of forms while Conceptual art involves showing the direct intention or thought behind a piece of art, disregarding general aesthetics or medium-based concerns. LeWitt constantly demonstrated themes from both of these movements in his work.
Through his structures, he went back to the basics.
LeWitt's structures strip his conceptual work down to its bones. The skeletal cubes acted as a base for most of his structures, which he would then build on or elaborate with other minimalist techniques. LeWitt's structures followed the agenda of removing the 'skin' from art, an idea popular in the '60s. While some artists were adding on layers of color and paint, LeWitt was stripping them away.
He collected works from many artists who are now famous.
Besides his own impressive body of work, LeWitt and his wife Carol Androccio collected over 9,000 rare pieces from other contemporary artists. Their impressive hoard included work from Alyce Acock, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Jan Dibbets, Jackie Ferrara, Gilbert & George, Alex Katz, Robert Mangold, Brice Marden, Mario Merz, Shirin Neshat, Pat Steir, and many others.
He proved that math and art go hand-in-hand.
Known for his wall drawings, LeWitt created them by following a very technical process. According to Sol LeWitt Prints Catalogue Raisonné, a site organized by Barbara Krakow Gallery, LeWitt completed his first wall drawing at Paula Cooper Gallery in 1968. The wall drawing consisted of a series of parallel lines drawn in black on a white wall. The lines are vertical, horizontal, and diagonal left and right—a rigid and geometrical construction seen throughout LeWitt's career.
He created over 1,200 wall drawings.
Sol LeWitt created hundreds of wall drawings created during his lifetime, and each of them evolved in their own way. He continued his technique of drawing directly onto the wall, moving from pencil, to crayon, to ink, and eventually to paint, all while trying to remain as two-dimensional as possible. These wall drawings directly influenced many artists working on murals or large-scale paintings today.
He has been represented in some of the most important cities for art.
In over 50 years of making art, LeWitt was represented by some of the finest galleries around the world. This list includes Paula Cooper Gallery in New York, Donald Young Gallery in Chicago, Lisson Gallery in London, and Yvon Lambert Gallery in Paris. Pace Gallery was appointed the International Representative of the LeWitt Estate in Nov. 2007 and continues to represent the Estate today.
He showed that contemporary art is still embedded in art history.
Contemporary, by definition, means being of the present time. In art, this term encompasses far more, however. Sol LeWitt explored this concept by focusing on the simplicity of the new age while looking towards that past. He was influenced by many forward-thinking artists, including those from the De Stijl movement and manifesto of Dutch artist and thinker Theo Van Doesburg. The De Stijl manifesto talks about balance, contrast, and composition—all elements found continuously in LeWitt's work. LeWitt's art, embedded in art history, showed that art is derived from art, no matter how contemporary it may be.
He expanded his talents into architecture and design.
Along with painting, drawing, and structures, Sol LeWitt collaborated with architect Stephen Lloyd to design the Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek Synagogue in Connecticut. The space is open, airy, and features splashes of color and light. It's no surprise that LeWitt's talents translated well into architecture because he worked as a graphic designer for an architect early in his career.
He was constantly publishing his thoughts and work.
LeWitt published over 17 books throughout his career, including Arcs, From Corners & Sides, Circles, & Grids and All Their Combinations (1972), an autobiography in 1980, and many books paying homage to his wall drawings, structures, and exhibitions. By commenting on his work, he was helping other critics and artists understand the thrust behind his art.
He paid his dues to the institution.
Like many household names, LeWitt cut his teeth in art school at the School of Visual Arts in New York. LeWitt knew the benefits of a formal education and discovered many influences in school, such as the work of photographer Eadweard Muybridge, whose studies in sequences and motion captivated LeWitt.
He shared his prolific ideas with those who could continue his work.
Sol LeWitt took on the role of artist, author, and also teacher. LeWitt was a professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York, as well as New York University. SVA respects his legacy in many works around the campus. According to Silas H. Rhodes, founder and chairman of SVA, "Sol LeWitt was an illustrious disciple of Duchamp."
He considered the connection between fine artist and composer.
A beautiful quote from MoMA's "Focus: Sol LeWitt" describes the artist's view of the fine artist as a composer: "He compared his role to that of a composer who creates a score that may be played by musicians for generations to come. The concept—or score—remains constant, but the wall drawing, like a musical performance, will vary slightly each time it is realized anew." LeWitt often left only instructions for galleries and exhibitions on how to create his wall drawings, leaving others to draw the actual works. By removing himself from his pieces, he became like a composer that lets the musicians read his instructions to create a melody.
He was not shy to experiment.
More than just drawing on walls, LeWitt produced paintings, screen-prints, etchings, lithographs, photographs, sculptures, installations, and many murals. He strove to experiment with mediums and techniques, finding a balance by maintaining his style and concepts while expanding into new formats.
Even at the decline of his career, he continued to create new work.
Later in his career, LeWitt moved away from solid black and white and bright colors to soft ink washes, while still maintaining his signature style in the shapes and forms of his pieces. These later works are not regarded as his most popular, but they show the breadth of LeWitt's scope as an artist.
He is still recognized and praised today.
Pace Gallery opens "Horizontal Progressions" tomorrow with seven rare LeWitt sculptures. The structures on display represent the progression and legacy of LeWitt's work, his constant influence, and the many perspectives of his art. Such a major show only speaks to the increasing fascination with LeWitt.