ticketsMember | Make a donation

Whirlirama

Sam Gilliam American
1970
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 921
Based in Washington, D.C., Gilliam was long at the forefront of developments in abstract painting. In the 1950s and 1960s, he belonged to the Washington Color School, whose members experimented with novel painting techniques and emphasized color, process, and materiality. To create Whirlirama, Gilliam applied acrylic paint onto raw, unprimed canvas without using brushes, instead staining it like a piece of fabric. After applying flourishes of silver and red, he crumpled the support, causing the paint to smear and the hues to intermingle in unpredictable ways. He then mounted the canvas on a beveled-edge stretcher, reinforcing the physicality of his otherwise ethereal, lyrical painting.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Whirlirama
  • Artist: Sam Gilliam (American, born Tupelo, Mississippi, 1933–2022 Washington, D.C.)
  • Date: 1970
  • Medium: Acrylic on canvas
  • Dimensions: 9 ft. 3 1/4 in. × 9 ft. 7 1/2 in. (282.6 × 293.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund and Pamela Joyner Gift, 2014
  • Object Number: 2014.441
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Estate of Sam Gilliam
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Phase, Sam Gilliam American, Screenprint
Phase
Sam Gilliam
1974
Leah's Renoir, Sam Gilliam American, Acrylic on canvas with collage sections
Leah's Renoir
Sam Gilliam
1979
Carousel State, Sam Gilliam American, Acrylic and aluminum powder on canvas
Carousel State
Sam Gilliam
1968
Pyramid, Sam Gilliam American, Wood, stain, lacquer, and aluminum
Returned to lender
Pyramid
Sam Gilliam
2020
Nile, Sam Gilliam American, Lithograph
Returned to lender
Nile
Sam Gilliam
1972

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.