Sam Gilliam, 10/27/69, 1969, acrylic on canvas, installation dimensions variable, approximate installation dimensions: 140 x 185 x 16 inches, (355.6 x 469.9 x 40.6 cm), Collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, photography by Fredrik Nilsen Studio. Sam Gilliam Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, photography by Fredrik Nilsen Studio. Detailsb. 1933, Tupelo, Mississippi Sam Gilliam is one the great innovators in postwar American painting. He emerged from the Washington, D.C. scene in the mid 1960s with works that elaborated upon and disrupted the ethos of Color School painting.A series of formal breakthroughs would soon result in his canonical Drape paintings, which expanded upon the tenets of Abstract Expressionism in entirely new ways. Suspending stretcherless lengths of painted canvas from the walls or ceilings of exhibition spaces, Gilliam transformed his medium and the contexts in which it was viewed. For an African-American artist in the nation’s capital at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, this was not merely an aesthetic proposition; it was a way of defining art’s role in a society undergoing dramatic change. Gilliam has subsequently pursued a pioneering course in which experimentation has been the only constant. Inspired by the improvisatory ethos of jazz, his lyrical abstractions continue to take on an increasing variety of forms, moods, and materials.In addition to a traveling retrospective organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. in 2005, Sam Gilliam has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1971); The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (1982); Whitney Museum of American Art, Philip Morris Branch, New York (1993); J.B. Speed Memorial Museum, Louisville, Kentucky (1996); Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. (2011); and Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland (2018), among many other institutions. A semi-permanent installation of Gilliam’s paintings will open at Dia:Beacon in August 2019. His work is included in over fifty public collections, including those of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Tate Modern, London; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Art Institute of Chicago. He lives and works in Washington, D.C. Sam Gilliam, Green April, 1969, acrylic on canvas, 98 x 271 x 3 7/8 inches (248.9 x 688.3 x 9.8 cm), Collection of Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland, Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, photography by Lee Thompson. Exhibitions View All New York Sam Gilliam Upcoming Nov 6–Dec 23, 2020 London IMPULSE Past Nov 3–Dec 22, 2017 Journal View All Museum Exhibitions Hirshhorn Announces Sam Gilliam Retrospective Feb 07, 2020 News The Brooklyn Rail Interviews Sam Gilliam Sep 04, 2019 Press Sam Gilliam in Artnet News Aug 30, 2019 One-Artist Exhibitions Public Collections Group Exhibitions Close One-Artist Exhibitions Sam Gilliam One-Artist Exhibitions DatesBorn 1933, Tupelo, MississippiLives and works in Washington, D.C.Education1955, University of Louisville, Kentucky, BA1961, University of Louisville, Kentucky, MFA2019Sam Gilliam, Dia:Beacon, New York, opened August 10, 2019.Sam Gilliam: New Works on Paper, Flag Art Foundation, New York, June 6–August 16, 2019.Sam Gilliam: Starting: Works on Paper 1967–1970, David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, March 16–April 27, 2019.2018Sam Gilliam: The Music of Color, Kunstmuseum Basel, June 9–September 30, 2018. (Catalogue)2017Sam Gilliam: 1967–1973, Mnuchin Gallery, New York, November 2–December 16, 2017. (Catalogue)Sam Gilliam, Seattle Art Museum, May 6–November 19, 2017.2016Sam Gilliam: Green April, David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, June 4–July 16, 2016. (Catalogue)2013Sam Gilliam: Hard Edge Paintings 1963–1966, David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, March 28–May 11, 2013.2011Sam Gilliam: Paintings, Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D.C., September 17–October 29, 2011.Sam Gilliam: Close to Trees, Katzen Arts Center, American University, Washington, D.C., April 2–August 14, 2011.Sam Gilliam: Flour Mill, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., January 29–April 24, 2011.Sam Gilliam: New Paintings, Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D.C., January 22–March 12, 2011.2009Sam Gilliam: New Paintings, Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D.C., May 9–July 3, 2009.2008Sam Gilliam: I Adapt to Eatonville¸ Zora Neale Hurston Museum of Fine Arts, Eatonville, Florida, May 15–August 24, 2008.2007Sam Gilliam, Imago Galleries, Desert Springs, California, 2007.Sam Gilliam, Galerie Darthea Speyer, Paris, 2007.Sam Gilliam: New Work, Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D.C., May 19–July 28, 2007.Sam Gilliam: White Papers and Paintings¸ Sande Webster Gallery, Philadelphia, May 1–31, 2007.Sam Gilliam, Scarfone/Hartley Gallery, University of Tampa, March 16–29, 2007.2006Sam Gilliam: Prints from the Artist’s Collection, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., February 8–March 31, 2006; Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville, Virginia, November 2006. (Catalogue)2005Sam Gilliam: Fixed Between Painting and Sculpture, Angie Newman Johnson Gallery, Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Virginia, 2005.Sam Gilliam: A Retrospective, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., October 15, 2005–January 24, 2006. Traveled to: Speed Art Museum, Louisville, June 6–September 3, 2006; Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, October 11-December 31, 2006; Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, January 27–May 6, 2007. (Catalogue)Sam Gilliam: Sunlight, Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D.C., October 8–November 26, 2005.2004Sam Gilliam, Sande Webster Gallery, Philadelphia, through April 30, 2004.Sam Gilliam: New Work: “3,” Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D.C., April 3–May 22, 2004.Sam Gilliam: Folded & Hinged, Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Baton Rouge, February 28–April 18, 2004. Traveled to: Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, Mississippi, May 15–July 3, 2004. (Catalogue)2002Sam Gilliam: New Paintings: Slats, Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D.C., April 5–May 18 (extended through May 25), 2002.2001Sam Gilliam, Imago Galleries, Palm Desert, California, 2001.Sam Gilliam: From Shiraz, Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D.C., 2001.2000Sam Gilliam, Georgetown Gallery, Georgetown, Kentucky, 2000.1999Sam Gilliam: Works ’99, Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D.C., October 15–November 27, 1999.1998Sam Gilliam in 3-D, Kreeger Museum, Washington, D.C., October 16, 1998–January 2, 1999.1997Sam Gilliam: The Three Musketeers, Baumgartner Galleries, Washington, D.C., 1997.Sam Gilliam: Of Fireflies and Ferris Wheels: Monastery Parallel, Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen, Magdeburg, Germany, May 3–June 22, 1997.Sam Gilliam, Klein Gallery, Chicago, opened February 22, 1997.1996Sam Gilliam: Construction, J.B. Speed Memorial Museum, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996.Sam Gilliam: A Still on the Potomac, Baumgartner Galleries, Washington, D.C., 1996.1994Sam Gilliam: Bikers Move Like Swallows, Baumgartner Galleries, Washington, D.C., through November 26, 1994.Sam Gilliam: Golden Element Inside Gold, Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris, New York, January 20–July 1, 1994.1992Sam Gilliam: Of Fire and Ferris Wheels, Arts America Program, United States Information Agency, Helsinki, 1992.1991Sam Gilliam, American Craft Museum, New York, 1991.Sam Gilliam, Galerie Darthea Speyer, Paris, 1991.Sam Gilliam, Walker Hill Arts Center, Seoul, 1991.Sam Gilliam: Paintings 1970–1973, Barbara Fendrick Gallery, New York, April 19–May 25, 1991.1990Sam Gilliam: 1969–1975, Klein Art Works, Chicago, June 10–July 29, 1990. (Catalogue)Sam Gilliam: Small Drape Paintings 1970–1973, Middendorf Gallery, Washington, D.C., February 24–March 24, 1990. (Catalogue)1989Sam Gilliam: Recent Paintings, Barbara Fendrick Gallery, New York, November 15–December 16, 1989.1987Sam Gilliam: Paintings 1985–1986, Carl Solway Gallery, Cincinnati, February 20–March 28, 1987.1986Sam Gilliam, Davis/McClain Gallery, Houston, 1986.1985Sam Gilliam, Monique Knowlton Gallery, New York, 1985.1984Sam Gilliam: Recent Paintings, Herter Art Gallery, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1984.1983Sam Gilliam, Galerie Darthea Speyer, Paris, 1983.Sam Gilliam, McIntosh-Drysdale Gallery, Houston, 1983.Sam Gilliam, Middendorf/Lane Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1983.Modern Painters at the Corcoran: Sam Gilliam, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., March 24–May 22, 1983. (Catalogue)1982Red & Black to “D”: Paintings by Sam Gilliam, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, November 16, 1982–February 27, 1983. (Catalogue)1981Sam Gilliam, Dart Gallery, Chicago, 1981.Sam Gilliam, Nexus, Atlanta, 1981.Sam Gilliam, Hamilton Gallery of Contemporary Art, New York, March 1981.1980Sam Gilliam, Simon Lowinsky Gallery, San Francisco, January 15–February 16, 1980.1979Sam Gilliam, Hamilton Gallery of Contemporary Art, Mew York, March 10–31, 1979.Sam Gilliam, Dart Gallery, Chicago, 1979.Sam Gilliam, Middendorf/Lane Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1979.1978Sam Gilliam, Galerie Darthea Speyer, Paris, November 8–December 15, 1978.Sam Gilliam: Indoor & Outdoor Paintings 1967–1978, University Gallery, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, September 16–November 5, 1978. (Catalogue)Sam Gilliam, Arnold Gallery, Atlanta, March–April 1978.Sam Gilliam, Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, February–March 1978.Sam Gilliam, Fendrick Gallery, Washington, D.C., February–March 1978.Sam Gilliam, University of Kentucky, Lexington, February–March 1978.Sam Gilliam, Carl Solway Gallery, New York, January–February 1978.1977Sam Gilliam, Oliver Dowling Gallery, Dublin, October–November 12, 1977.Sam Gilliam, Artpark, Lewiston, New York, July–August 1977.New Paintings by Sam Gilliam¸ Dart Gallery, Chicago, April 23–May 21, 1977.Sam Gilliam, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, March 1977.1976Sam Gilliam: An Exhibition of Paintings¸ Rutgers University Art Gallery, New Brunswick, New Jersey, November 14–December 19, 1976. (Catalogue)Sam Gilliam, Fendrick Gallery, Washington, D.C., November 1976.Sam Gilliam, Nina Freudenheim Gallery, Buffalo, New York, May 1976.Sam Gilliam, Galerie Darthea Speyer, Paris, May 13–June 18, 1976.Sam Gilliam: Paintings and Works on Paper, J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky, January 12–February 8, 1976. (Catalogue)1975Sam Gilliam, Linda Farris Gallery, Seattle, 1975.Sam Gilliam: Paintings 1970–1975, Fendrick Gallery, Washington, D.C., October 15–November 8, 1975. (Catalogue)Seahorse by Sam Gilliam, Philadelphia Museum of Art, April 26–May 25, 1975.1974Sam Gilliam, Carl Solway Gallery, Cincinnati, September 1974.Sam Gilliam: Paintings, Watercolors, Prints¸ Linda Farris Gallery, Seattle, August 1974.Sam Gilliam, Phoenix Gallery, San Francisco, May 1974.1973Sam Gilliam, Galerie Darthea Speyer, Paris, 1973.Sam Gilliam, Jefferson Place Gallery, Washington, D.C., November 27–December 31, 1973.Sam Gilliam, Fendrick Gallery, Washington, D.C., November 1973.Sam Gilliam, University of California, Irvine, April 1973.Sam Gilliam, Greenburg Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri, March 1973.Sam Gilliam, Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., March 1973.1972Sam Gilliam, Jefferson Place Gallery, Washington, D.C., November 27, 1972–December 16, 1972.1971Projects: Sam Gilliam¸ The Museum of Modern Art, New York, November 9–December 8, 1971.Sam Gilliam: Watercolors and Multiples, Jefferson Place Gallery, Washington, D.C., July 13–August 8, 1971.1970Sam Gilliam, Galerie Darthea Speyer, Paris, 1970.Sam Gilliam: Recent Paintings and Watercolors, Jefferson Place Gallery, Washington, D.C., December 11, 1970–January 2, 1971.1969Sam Gilliam, Jefferson Place Gallery, Washington, D.C., April 1–19, 1969.1968Sam Gilliam, Byron Gallery, New York, through June 1968.1967Sam Gilliam, Jefferson Place Gallery, Washington, D.C., November 28–December 16, 1967.Paintings by Sam Gilliam, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., October 7–November 14, 1967. (Brochure)1965Sam Gilliam, Jefferson Place Gallery, Washington, D.C., June 7–26, 1965.1963Recent Paintings by Sam Gilliam, Adams-Morgan Gallery, Washington, D.C., though March 8, 1963. Public Collections Sam Gilliam Public Collections Academy Art Museum, Easton, Maryland Akron Art Museum, Akron, OhioAllen Art Museum at Oberlin College, OhioAllentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pennsylvania Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois Ashville Art Museum, North Carolina Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas The Block Museum, Evanston, Illinois Brooklyn Museum, New YorkCarnegie Museum of Art, PittsburghChrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VirginiaCincinnati Art Museum, Ohio Cleveland Museum of Art, OhioThe Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire Dallas Museum of Art, TexasDayton Art Institute, OhioDePaul Art Museum, ChicagoDetroit Institute of Arts, MichiganFine Arts Museums of San Francisco, California The George Washington University Art Museum, Washington D.C.Guilford College Art Gallery, Greensboro, North CarolinaGreenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, South Carolina Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.Howard University Art Collection, Washington, D.C.The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, New YorkIndianapolis Museum of Art, IndianaThe Jacobs Gallery, Georgetown College, KentuckyJohnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, New YorkKreeger Museum, Washington, D.C.Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, MississippiLouisiana Museum of Modern Art, DenmarkMabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, Shawnee, OklahomaMadison Museum of Contemporary Art, WisconsinThe Maier Museum of Art, Lynchburg, Virginia The McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TexasMemorial Art Gallery, Rochester, New York The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkMilwaukee Art Museum, WisconsinMinneapolis Institute of Art, MinnesotaMississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Mississippi Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de ParisMuseum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, California The Museum of Fine Arts, HoustonThe Museum of Modern Art, New YorkNational Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. National Gallery of Art, Corcoran Collection, Washington D.C.National Museum of African American History & Culture, Washington D.C.North Carolina Museum of Art, RaleighOgden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana Oklahoma City Museum of Art, OklahomaPalmer Museum of Art of The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, PhiladelphiaPerez Art Museum Miami, FloridaPhiladelphia Museum of Art, PennsylvaniaThe Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.Princeton University Art Museum, New JerseyRose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MassachusettsThe Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California Seattle Art Museum, Washington The Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Bloomington, IndianaSmart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, IllinoisSmithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.Stanley Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KentuckyThe Studio Museum in Harlem, New YorkTate Modern, LondonTelfair Museums, Savannah, GeorgiaTubman Museum, Macon, GeorgiaTufts University Art Galleries, Medford, Massachusetts University of Kentucky Art Museum, LexingtonUniversity of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor Walker Art Center, MinneapolisWhitney Museum of American Art, New YorkWilliams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MassachusettsWorcester Art Museum, Massachusetts Group Exhibitions Sam Gilliam Group Exhibitions 2019With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art 1972-1985, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, October 27, 2019–May 11, 2020. Traveled to Hessel Museum of Art, Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, June 27, 2020–December 11, 2020. (Catalogue)Generations: A History of Black Abstract Art, The Baltimore Museum of Art, September 29, 2019–January 19, 2020.The REACH Opening Festival, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., September 7–22, 2019.A Time for Action: Washington Artists Circa 1989, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery at George Washington University, Washington, D.C., June 13–October 5, 2019.Postwar Abstraction: Variations, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, April 19, 2019–December 31, 2020.Count of Three, Alexander Gray Associates, New York, April 18–May 24, 2019.Spilling Over: Painting Color in the 1960s, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 29–August 18, 2019.Mapping Black Identities, Minneapolis Institute of Art, February 21, 2019–March 15, 2020.Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem, Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco, January 16–April 14, 2019. Traveled to: Gibbes Museum of Charleston, South Carolina, May 24–August 18, 2019. Traveled to: Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Michigan, September 13–December 8, 2019; Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, January 17–April 12, 2020; Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, May 9–August 2, 2020; Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, August 28–December 13, 2020. (Catalogue)2018The Gift of Art: Permanent Collection Exhibition in Celebration of Its 35th Anniversary, Pérez Art Museum Miami, opened on October 25, 2018.Pattern, Decoration and Crime, Musée d'art moderne et contemporain, Geneva, October 10, 2018–March 2, 2019.American Abstract, Charles Riva Collection, Brussels, September 28, 2018–February 23, 2019.Abstraction, Color, and Politics in the Early 1970s, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, Michigan, September 22, 2018–May 19, 2019.The Fabricators, Akron Art Museum, Ohio, September 22, 2018–March 3, 2019.Second Look, Twice: Selections from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco, September 19–December 16, 2018.Remember to React: 60 Years of Collecting, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, September 9, 2018–October 30, 2019.Alma Thomas: The Light of the Whole Universe, Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, July 27, 2018–December 1, 2019Public Artworks of Rockne Krebs and Sam Gilliam, Built and Unbuilt, The Washington Studio School, Washington, D.C., July 19–August 3, 2018. (Catalogue)One Shot: Featuring Works by Color Field Artists, UTA Artist Space, Beverly Hills, California, July 12–August 18, 2018.Painting: Now and Forever, Part III, Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, June 28–August 17, 2019.Summer 2018, Mnuchin Gallery, New York, June 18–August 31, 2018.Sam Gilliam in Dialogue: The Topographies of Color, Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, Massachusetts, June 7–September 3, 2018.Inherent Structure, Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio, May 19–August 12, 2018.Collecting Contemporaries: Recent Acquisitions from The Koch And Wolf Collections, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Newfields, Indianapolis, May 4–December 16, 2018.Sam Gilliam in Dialogue: Form, Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, Massachusetts, April 26–June 3, 2018.Expanding Narratives: The Figure and the Ground, Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, April 24–December 16, 2018.Problem Solving: Highlights from the Experimental Printmaking Institute, Mechanical Hall Gallery at the University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, March 5–May 11, 2018.Reclamation! Pan-African Works from the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, Virginia, March 3–September 9, 2018.Indulge, Art Movement, Los Angeles, March 1–April 28, 2018.Hopes Springing High: Gifts of Art by African American Artists, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California, February 18–July 15, 2018.Sam Gilliam in Dialogue: Race + Representation, Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, Massachusetts, February 15–April 22, 2018.The New Art: A Milestone Collection Fifty Years Later, The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma, February 15–May 13, 2018.The Conscientious Objector, The Schindler House at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, West Hollywood, California, February 3–April 5, 2018. (Catalogue)Experiments in Form: Sam Gilliam, Alan Shields, Frank Stella, The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, January 13–June 24, 2018.2017Washington Color School: 50 Years Later, Bethesda Fine Art, Washington D.C., on view through December 15, 2017.Picturing Mississippi, 1817–2017: Land of Plenty, Pain, and Promise, Mississippi Museum of Art, December 9, 2017–July 8, 2018. (Catalogue)BIG, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Wisconsin, November 4, 2017–May 6, 2018.Impulse! Pace Gallery, London, November 3–December 22, 2017. (Catalogue)Solidary and Solitary, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana, September 30, 2017–January 21, 2018. Travelled to The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, February 22, 2018–July 15, 2018; Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, August 18–December 15, 2018; David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, January 29–May 19, 2019; Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland, March 2019–July 2019; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, August 2019–January 2020; and Pérez Art Museum Miami, 2020. (Catalogue)Disorderly Conduct: American Painting and Sculpture, 1960 -1990, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, September 21, 2017–February 28, 2018.Apparitions, Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Center for Healing and The Arts, Washington, D.C., September 8–October 27, 2017.Start at Home: Art from the Frank W. Hale, Jr. Black Cultural Center Collection, Hagerty Hall, Hopkins Hall Gallery, Thompson Library at The Ohio State University, Hale Black Cultural Center, King Arts Complex and Urban Art Space, Columbus, Ohio, August 24–November 4, 2017.Art of Rebellion: Black Art of the Civil Rights Movement, Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan, July 23–October 22, 2017. (Catalogue)Simple Passion, Complex Vision: The Darryl Atwell Collection, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, Charlotte, North Carolina, July 22, 2017–January 22, 2018.Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power, Tate Modern, London, July 12–October 22, 2017. Travelled to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, February 3–April 23, 2018; Brooklyn Museum, New York, September 14, 2018–February 3, 2019; The Broad, Los Angeles, March 23– September 1, 2019; de Young Museum, San Francisco, November 9, 2019–March 8, 2020; and The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2020. (Catalogue)Art Into Life! Collector Wolfgang Hahn and the 60s, Museum Ludwig, Museum Ludwig, KölnGermany, June 24–September 24, 2017.Spirit of Collaboration: Sam Gilliam and Lou Stovall, Griots’ Art Gallery, Center for Haitian Arts, Miami, June 10–September 30, 2017.Viva Arte Viva, 57th Venice Biennale, May 13–November 26, 2017. (Catalogue)Color People, Rental Gallery, East Hampton, New York, July 1–25, 2017.Please Fasten Your Seat Belt as We Are Experiencing Some Turbulence, Leo Xu Projects, Shanghai, March 18–April 30, 2017.Approaching Abstraction: African American Art from the Permanent Collection, La Salle University Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 15, 2016–June 15, 2017Colour Is, Waddington Custot, London, March 1–April 28, 2017. (Catalogue)Investigating Identity: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Contemporary Art, Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College, Lynchburg, Virginia, February 3–April 9, 2017.The Evolution of Mark-Making, Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, Florida, January 28–May 14, 2017.AfroFantastic: Black Imagination and Agency in the American Experience, Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College, January 14–May 14, 2017.Revelations: Masterworks by African American Artists, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas, January 10–May 7, 2017.2016Visual Art and the American Experience, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C., opened in 2016.Dimensions of Black, Jacobs Building at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego downtown, California, December 16, 2016–April 30, 2017.Circa 1970, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, November 17, 2016–April 2, 2017.Complex Uncertainties: Artists in Postwar America, Jepson Center at Telfair Museums, Savannah, Georgia, opened in September 30, 2016.Three American Painters: David Diao, Sam Gilliam, Sal Sirugo, Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, and The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, September 2, 2016–July 30, 2018.Artworks by African Americans from the Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., August 31, 2016–February 28, 2017.Modern Heroics: 75 Years of African-American Expressionism, Newark Museum, New Jersey, June 18, 2016–January 8, 2017. (Catalogue)Big & Bold: Selections from the Collection, Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina, May 27– October 23, 2016.Approaching American Abstraction: The Fisher Collection, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, May 14, 2016–January 1, 2017.Close Readings: American Abstract Art from the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, March 17–May 26, 2016.Passages in Modern Art: 1946 -1996, Dallas Museum of Art, Texas, March 13, 2016–June 18, 2017.A Celebration of the Speed Collection, Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky, opened on March 12, 2016.Landmark: A Decade of Collecting at the Jepson Center, Telfair Museums, Savannah, Georgia, March 11–August 14, 2016.Not New Now - Marrakech Biennale 6, Marrakech, Morocco, February 24–May 8, 2016.2015Art in the Making: A New Adaptation, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery at George Washington University, Washington, D.C., on view through July 17, 2015.Great Impressions IV: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints, Dean Jensen Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on view through June 14, 2015.On Paper: Howard Hodgkin, Sam Gilliam, Gene Davis, Sheila Rotner, Andrea Way, Athena Tacha, Agnes Denes, Kathleen Kucka, Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D. C., December 12, 2015–January 23, 2016.Black: Color, Material, Concept, Studio Museum Harlem, New York, November 12, 2015–March 6, 2016.Surface Matters, Edward H. Linde Gallery at Museum of Fine Arts Boston, October 31, 2015–April 10, 2016.Surface Tension, The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, September 17–December 12, 2015.You Have to See This: Abstract Art from the Permanent Collection, Palmer Museum of Art at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, September 1–December 6, 2015.Affecting Presence and the Pursuit of Delicious Experiences, The Menil Collection at Houston Museum District, Texas, July 17–November 8, 2015.Pretty Raw: After and Around Helen Frankenthaler, Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, February 11–June 7, 2015.New Acquisitions, Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, February 11–June 7, 2015.Represent: 200 Years of African American Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, January 10–April 5, 2015. (Catalogue)2014Sense of Place II: Selections from the Permanent Collection, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2014.Make it New: Abstract Painting from the National Gallery of Art, 1950–1975, The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, August 2–October 13, 2014. (Catalogue)Witness: Art and Civil Rights in the Sixties, Brooklyn Museum, New York, March 7–July 13, 2014. Travelled to Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, August 30–December 14, 2014; and Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin, Texas, February 15–May 10, 2015. (Catalogue)Black in the Abstract, Part 2: Hard Edges/Soft Curves, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Texas, January 25, 2014–March 23, 2014. (Catalogue)2013Black in the Abstract, Part 1: Epistrophy, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Texas, October 31, 2013–January 5, 2014. (Catalogue)Assembly Required: Selections from the Permanent Collection, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, March 28–June 30, 2013.The Force of Color, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Wisconsin, January 19–April 28, 2013.2012A Bigger Splash: Painting after Performance, Tate Modern, London, November 14, 2012–April 1, 2013. (Catalogue)Drip, Drape, Draft, South London Gallery, London, September 28–November 25, 2012.African American Art Since 1950: Perspectives from the David C. Driskill Center, the David C. Driskill Center at the University of Maryland, September 20–December 14, 2012. Travelled to Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio, February 15–April 28, 2013; The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts, Charlotte, North Carolina, January 16–June 15, 2014; Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa, September 15, 2014–January 4, 2015; Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, Florida, March 21–June 29, 2015; Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, October 7, 2016–January 22, 2017. (Catalogue)The 100th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art: The Vision Endures, Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College, Lynchburg, Virginia, July 6–August 12, 2012.Washington Color and Light, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., June 24–August 14, 2012.Constant Artist, Katzen Arts Center at American University, Washington D. C., June 9–August 12, 2012.African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, Smithsonian American Art Museum, April 27–September 3, 2012. Travelled to Muscarelle Museum of Art at The College of William and Mary, Virginia, September 28, 2012–January 6, 2013; Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando, Florida, February 1–April 28, 2013; Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, June 1–September 2, 2013; Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee, February 14–May 25, 2014; and Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California, June 29–September 21, 2014. (Catalogue)The Spirit Level, Gladstone Gallery, New York, March 24–April 21, 2012. (Catalogue)2010New Visions: Contemporary Masterworks from The Bank of America Collection, Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina, October 1, 2010–April 17, 2011.Colorscape: Abstract Painting, 1960-1979, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California, March 20–August 15, 2010.2008Three American Masters: Gene Davis, Sam Gilliam, Nathan Oliveira, Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D.C., September 5–October 11, 2008.20075 X 5: Five Artists choose Five Artists to Watch, Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery at Washington District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, Washington, D.C., February 15–May 13, 2007.2006Generations: African-American Art in the VMFA Collection, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia Beach, Virginia, January 19–March 12, 2006.2005Resurfaced, Boston University Art Gallery, September 9–October 30, 2005. (Catalogue)The Shape of Color, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, June 1–August 7, 2005. (Catalogue)2000Abstract Notions: Selections for the Permanent Collection, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, September 16–October 28, 2000.The Chemistry of Color: African American Artists is Philadelphia, 1970–1990, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, February 5–May 9, 2010. (Catalogue)1997Seeing Jazz, International Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 30, 1997–January 19, 1998. (Catalogue)1995Richard Artschwager, Sam Gilliam, Jim Hyde, Baumgartner Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1995.44th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., December 16, 1995–February 19, 1996. (Catalogue)1991Abstraction: The 90’s, Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, 1991.1989The Blues Aesthetic: Black Culture and Modernism, Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C., September 14–December 9, 1989. Travelled to California Afro-American Museum, opened on January 14, 1990; Duke University Museum of Art, Durham, North Carolina, 1990. (Catalogue)1987Contemporary Visual Expressions, Anacostia Museum, Washington, D.C., May 27–July 31, 1987. (Catalogue)1986Abstraction/Abstraction, Carnegie-Mellon University Art Gallery, Pittsburgh, March 22–April 27, 1986. (Catalogue)1982American Abstraction Now, Institute of Contemporary Art at Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, Virginia, September 1–October 3, 1982.Painterly Abstraction, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Indiana, February 5–March 14, 1982. (Catalogue)1981Installations: Stephen Antonakos, Sam Gilliam, Rockne Krebs, Middendorf/Lane Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1981.1980Alternatives by Black Artists, Washington Project for the Arts, Washington D.C., 1980.Planar Painting: Constructs 1975–1980, Alternative Museum, New York, October 18–November 15, 1980. (Catalogue)Afro-American Abstraction, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York, February 17–April 6, 1980. Traveled to: Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York, February 6–March 29, 1981, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, July 1–August 30, 1982; Oakland Museum of California, November 13, 1982–January 2, 1983; Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, Memphis, February 2–March 20, 1983; The Art Center, South Bend, Indiana, September 4–October 16, 1983; Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, January 22–February 26, 1984; Bellevue Art Museum, Washington, March 25–May 6, 1984; Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, June 1–July 15, 1984; Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, September 14–November 4, 1984. (Catalogue)Six Black Americans, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, January 28–March 30, 1980. (Catalogue)1979Art of the Eighties, The Grey Gallery at New York University, New York, 1979.1978American Artists' Work in Private French Collections, Museum Modern Art, Lyon, 1978.1977Le Peinture et le Tissu, Museum of Modern Art, Lyon, 1977.12th International Biennial of Graphic Art, Modern Gallery, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, May 13–August 31, 1977. (Catalogue)1976Festival Internationale de la Peinture, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, 1976.National Print Exhibition, 20th Biennial: 30 Years of American Printmaking, Brooklyn Museum, New York, November 20, 1976–January 30, 1977. (Catalogue)Handmade Paper Prints and Unique Works, Museum of Modern Art, New York, June 28–September 12, 1976.72nd American Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, March 13–May 9, 1976. (Catalogue)197534th Biennial of Contemporary American Painting, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., February 22–April 6, 1975. (Catalogue)1974Printed, Cut, Folded and Torn, Museum of Modern Art, New York, May 10–August 11, 1974. (Catalogue)Expo '74, Spokane, Washington, May 4–November 3, 1974. (Catalogue)Gilliam/Edwards/Williams: Extensions, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut, February 6-March 17, 1974. (Catalogue)1973Works in Spaces, San Francisco Museum of Art, February 9–April 8, 1973. (Catalogue)1972Interconnections: An Exhibit of Painting and Sculpture by Three Major Black Artists, Wabash Transit Gallery at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, November 1–30, 1972.XXXVI International Biennial Exhibition of Art, Venice, Italy, June 11–October 1, 1972. (Catalogue)1971Washington Art, Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina, November 3–December 3, 1971. (Catalogue)De Luxe Show, The De Luxe Theater, Houston, Texas, August 22–September 29, 1971.Kid Stuff, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, July 25–September 6, 1971. (Catalogue)Directions 3: Eight Artists, Milwaukee Art Center, June 19–August 8, 1971. (Catalogue)Works for New Spaces, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 18–July 25, 1971. (Catalogue)2nd Indian Triennale: Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, India, January 23–March 23, 1971. (Catalogue)1970Paperworks, Museum of Modern Art, New York, November 24, 1970–January 10, 1971. (Catalogue)Two Generations of Color Painting, Institute of Contemporary Art at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, October 1–November 6, 1970. (Catalogue)Washington: Twenty Years, Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland, May 12–June 21, 1970. (Catalogue)Dimensions of Black, La Jolla Museum of Art, San Diego, February 15–March 29, 1970. (Catalogue)Ten Washington Artists, Edmonton Art Gallery, Alberta, Canada, February 2–March 8, 1970. (Catalogue)69th American Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, January 17–February 22, 1970. (Catalogue)1969Gilliam, Krebs, McGowin, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1969.X to the Fourth Power, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, 1969.1969 Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 16, 1969–February 1, 1970. (Catalogue)The Washington Painters, Ringling Museum, Sarasota, Florida, December 1–28, 1969. (Catalogue)Other Ideas, Detroit Institute of Art, Michigan, September 10–October 19, 1969. (Catalogue)1968Invisible Americans: Black Artists of the 30s, The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, 1968.In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Museum of Modern Art, New York, October 31–November 3, 1968.1966Artists in Washington, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Washington, D.C., 1966.The Negro in American Art, Dickson Art Center at University of California, Los Angeles, September 11–October 16, 1966. (Catalogue)The First World Festival of Negro Arts, Dakar, Senegal, April 1–24, 1966. (Catalogue)1964Nine Contemporary Painters, USA, Pan American Union, Washington, D.C., May 21–June10, 1964. (Catalogue)