Don't Miss Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #370!

Sol LeWitt (American, 1928–2007). Wall Drawing #370: Ten Geometric Figures (including right triangle, cross, X, diamond) with three-inch parallel bands of lines in two directions, 1982. India ink on a wall. Dimensions vary with installation. The loan of Wall Drawing #370 is courtesy of The Estate of Sol LeWitt. The installation is made possible by The Modern Circle.

«What do you do when you have an idea for an art project? Do you grab your arts and crafts supplies and get to work? Or do you tell a friend or teacher about your idea first? An artist named Sol LeWitt took the planning process very seriously. He argued that ideas for works of art actually ARE art. Discover how Wall Drawing #370 appeared at The Met and why it will disappear!»

How did this really long artwork get into The Met Fifth Avenue building? Trick question! In fact, five people drew it on a wall according to the artist's designs from 1982. They worked outside the Modern and Contemporary galleries for four weeks.

Instructions for Wall Drawing #370. Photo by Wilson Santiago

The installers followed LeWitt's instructions very closely. First, they divided the white wall into 10 rectangular panels. Using pencils, rulers, and A LOT of tape to mark the wall with measurements, they worked in sections.

Sol LeWitt at The Met—Wall Drawing #370 Installation: Days 11–14. Produced and directed by Kate Farrell. Time-lapse photography by Thomas Ling

After marking each panel, the installers made lines with blue painter's tape. Then they painted white primer over the whole section, including the masking tape. Over all that, they applied MANY layers of black by hand, using rags dipped in India ink. They didn't paint the black on with brushes! After the ink dried, the installers removed the tape to uncover white lines between the black lines they had drawn.

Sol LeWitt at The Met—Wall Drawing #370 Installation: Days 15–17. Produced and directed by Kate Farrell. Time-lapse photography by Thomas Ling

LeWitt thought a lot about the shapes and colors that he wanted to use when planning his art. For Wall Drawing #370, he designed 10 simple geometric shapes at the center of each panel. He included a triangle, rectangle, and trapezoid. What other shapes do you see?

Wall Drawing #370 is made with parallel lines that move in the same direction and are each three inches apart from each other. Some parallel lines are vertical (moving up and down) and others are horizontal (moving side to side).

Detail of three panels of Wall Drawing #370

LeWitt did not want all of his art to last forever. Most of his wall art installed by other people is supposed to be destroyed. Wall Drawing #370 at The Met will one day be painted over! Come see it before it disappears.

Wall Drawing #370 is longer than the length of two school buses. Draw a bold design on paper for a large artwork that you'd like to see on a wall at your school. What kinds of lines, shapes, and colors will you choose to create an artwork to fill the space? Show your teachers and explain the choices you made to create it. Ask an adult to email a picture of your design to metkids@metmuseum.org.

Visit #MetKids, a digital feature made for, with, and by kids! Discover fun facts about works of art, hop in our time machine, watch behind-the-scenes videos, and get ideas for your own creative projects.