Sol LeWitt

Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) was born in Hartford, Connecticut and is widely recognized as a one of the pioneers of Conceptual art and Minimalism in the 1960s.


LeWitt is well known for his distinct visual vocabulary: the work is an extremely rigorous study of geometry, the rules and permutations possible within the most concise visual rule sets. His most iconic bodies of work include the iconic Wall Drawings, minimalist sculptures, and drawings in pencil and ink.


LeWitt graduated with a BFA from Syracuse University in 1949 and then served in the United States Army in Korea and Japan during the Korean War (1950-1953), where designed posters. In the late 60s, he began to create his Wall Drawings. His first work dates back to 1968 shown at Paula Cooper Gallery, New York: a system of parallel lines drawn with a black pencil on a white wall. Drawing directly on the wall allows LeWitt to pursue one of its main goals: to reinforce the flatness of his art and make the work as two-dimensional as possible. At the end of the 70s, LeWitt moved to Spoleto, Italy, where he studied the works of Giotto, Filippo Lippi, Masaccio, and Beato Angelico. LeWitt’s work underwent a major transformation and he began to experiment with India ink and color ink washes, a nod to the local works from the 14th and 15th century.


Sol LeWitt’s works have been exhibited widely including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Tate Gallery, London, Kunsthalle Bern, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Geementemuseum, University of Wadsworth, Hartford, Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome as well as Documenta IV, Documenta V, and the Venice Biennale.

2 SL Seriality Documenta Photo Maria Netter Basel Original jpg

Biography

Solo exhibitions
Year
Country, Exhibition Name, Location
2022
USA, Wall Drawings and Structures, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York
2021
F, Sol LeWitt, MASSIMODECARLO Pièce Unique, Paris
USA, Strict Beauty: Sol LeWitt Prints, New Britain Museum of American Art, Connecticut
2019
I, Sol LeWitt: Lines, Forms, Volumes, 1970s to Present, Galleria Alfonso Artiaco, Napoli
2018
USA, Sol LeWitt: Large Gouaches, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York
USA, Sol LeWitt: Lines in All Directions, Mignoni, New York
USA, By Hand: Sol LeWitt, The Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, Connecticut
USA, Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings: Expanding a Legacy, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven
USA, Sol LeWitt, Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles
CH, Sol LeWitt: 1 + 1 = 1 Million, Vito Schnabel Gallery, St. Moritz
2017
I, Sol LeWitt: Between the Lines, Fondazione Carriero, Milano
USA, One Wall, One Work: Sol LeWitt, Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston
CH, Sol LeWitt: 6 Wall Drawings, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Le Locle
2016
I, Sol LeWitt, Cardi Gallery, Milano
USA, Sol LeWitt, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York
I, Sol Lewitt, Galleria Cardi, Milano
F, Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawing #1183: Eight Bands of Color, Cahiers D’Art Gallery, Paris
2015
USA, Sol LeWitt: Drawings for Projects, Donald Young Gallery, Chicago
USA, Sol LeWitt: Structures and Related Works on Paper, 1968–2005, Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston
CH, Sol LeWitt: 40 Years at Annemarie Verna Gallery Part I, Annemarie Verna, Zurich
E, Sol LeWitt: 17 Wall Drawings 1970–2015, Fundación Botín, Santander
D, Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawings, Grids on Color, Konrad Fischer Galerie, Düsseldorf
D, Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawings, Grids on Black and White, Konrad Fischer Galerie, Berlin
E, Sol LeWitt, Galería Elvira González, Madrid
2014
USA, Redrawing Sol LeWitt Wall Drawing 731, Gallery Onetwentyeight, New York
USA, Sol LeWitt: Creating Place, Asheville Art Museum, Asheville
USA, Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawing #370, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
AUS, Sol LeWitt: Your Mind is Exactly at that Line, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
USA, Sol LeWitt: Prints, Pace Prints, New York
USA, Sol LeWitt: Horizontal Progressions, Pace Gallery, New York
2013
USA, Sol LeWitt: Concrete Block Structure, Rhona Hoffman Galley, Chicago
USA, Sol LeWitt: The Music Collection, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield
Group exhibitions
Year
Country, Exhibition Name, Location
2022
I, The Impermanent Collection #3, GAMeC – Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo, Bergamo
2021
I, McArthur Binion - Sol LeWitt, MASSIMODECARLO, Milano
2018
F, Voyages en zigzag. La collection d'Erwin Oberwiler, Musée des Beaux-arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds
2017
UK, Minimal art from the Marzona Collection, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London
F, A Different Way to Move: Minimalisms, New York, 1960-1979 Curated by Marcella Lista, Carré d’Art – Musée d’Art Contemporain, Nimes
2016
USA, 5th Expo Chicago, Chicago
2015
I, Andy Warhol sul comò. Opere della collezione Rosetta Barabino, Museo d'arte contemporanea Villa Croce, Genova
2013
UK, Snow Variation, Massimo De Carlo, London
2011
LT, In Deed: Certificates of Authenticity in Art, De Kabinetten van De Vleeshal, Middelburg, NL; Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venezia, I; KHOJ International Artists’ Association, New Delhi, IND; Mumbai Art Room, Mumbai, IND; Nero HQ, Rome, I; The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA; SALT Beyoğlu, Istanbul, TR; The Drawing Center, New York, USA; Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, USA; Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius
I, Arte Povera International, Castello di Rivoli, Torino
USA, Sculpture, Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles
2010
USA, Seriality. Sol Lewitt and Allan McCollum, Armand Bartos Fine Art, New York
2009
USA, 6 Works 6 Rooms, David Zwirner, New York
2008
NL, The Hague Sculpture 2008: Freedom-American Sculpture, Haags Gemeentemuseum, The Hague
USA, A Year of Drawing 2007-2008, Galerie Lelong, New York
CH, Selections from the Collection of Helga and Walther Lauffs, Hauser & Wirth, Zürich
UK, The Skat Prayers, Vilma Gold, London
USA, 21: Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum, New York
USA, Styrofoam, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence
USA, Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today, Museum of Modern Art, New York
CH, Jedermann Collection, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur
A, Exact + Different: Art and Mathematics from Dürer to Sol LeWitt, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Wien
UK, Based on Paper: The Marzona Collection, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Middlesbrough
DK, Group Show, Stalke Galleri / Galleri Kirke Sonnerup, Kirke Saaby
USA, How Artist's Draw: Toward the Menil Drawing Institute and Study Center, The Menil Collection, Houston
USA, Secular Geometry, Worksonpaper.biz, Philadelphia
USA, Collecting Collections: Highlights of the Permanent Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
UK, Carl Andre, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Sol LeWitt, Bridget Riley, Karsten Schubert, London
USA, Successive Approximation, Perry Rubenstein Gallery, New York
CH, Sammlung - Collection Curated by Heike Munder e Markus Schinwald, Migros Museum, Zürich
USA, Selections from the Collection of Helga and Walther Lauffs, David Zwirner, New York
USA, Styrofoam, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence

Bibliography

Year
Author, Publication Title, Date
2016
Il Messagero, 9 May
Elle Décor Italia, May
2012
Halperin, Julia, Art AUCTION, September
Venturi, Riccardo, Flash Art, December 2011 - January
2011
D'Emidio, Lisa e Paolo Spadano, Segno, October-December
Groom, Amelia, Frieze, September
Meyer, James, Artforum, May
2010
Costa, Chiara, Kaleidoscope, Feb-Mar
Tenconi, Roberta, Flash Art Italia, April
2009
Maffei, Giorgio e Emanuele De Donno, Sol LeWitt artist’s books
Merz Mario; Lewitt Sol
2008
Cross, Susan e Denise Markonish, Sol LeWitt 100 Views, Exhibition Catalogue.
2007
Caragliano, Renata, Arte
Storr, Robert, Scribble wall drawings, Exhibition Catalogue.
Blind Date - Istanbul, Exhibition Catalogue. Istanbul, Sakip Sabanci Museum
Caliandro, Christian, Exibart.onpaper
2006
Sol Le Witt. Wall Drawings allo Studio G7, Exhibition Catalogue. Bologna, Galleria Studio G7
Di Raddo, Elena, Titolo
Sol Lewitt. Wall Drawings allo studio G7
2004
Sol LeWitt Wall
Structures 1962-2003, Exhibition Catalogue.
Sol LeWitt, fotografia
2003
Sol Le Witt. Wall Drawings 2003, Exhibition Catalogue. Chiesanuova di Treia (Macerata), Villa Valcampana
Sol LeWitt-Mimmo Paladino
2002
Sol LeWitt Chicago, Exhibition Catalogue.
2001
Sol LeWitt: twenty-five years of wall drawings, 1968-1993, Exhibition Catalogue.
1999
Bands of Color, Exhibition Catalogue. Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art
1998
Flat and Glossy Black, Exhibition Catalogue.
1996
100 Cubes, Exhibition Catalogue.
Black Squares, Exhibition Catalogue.
1994
Sol LeWitt: Four Colors and All Their Combinations 1994, Exhibition Catalogue.
Opening Series, Exhibition Catalogue. Edimburgo, Morning Star Publication

Public collections

Country
Location
Australia
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Australian National Gallery, Canberra
Austria
Albertina, Wien
Museum Moderner Kunst, Wien
Belgium
Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst, Ghent
Canada
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
France
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Grenoble Museum, Grenoble
Musée d’Art Contemporarin de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
Germany
Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld
Sprengel Museum, Hannover
Westfalischer Kunstverein, Munster
Israel
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Italy
Panza di Buomo, Varese
Norway
Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo
Sweden
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Switzerland
Crex Collection, Schaffhausen
InK, Zürich
Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Geneva
The Museum of Drawers, Kunsthaus Zürich, Zürich
The Netherlands
Haags Gemeentemuseum, The Hague
Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Rijksmuseum Kroeller-Mueller, Otterlo
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
United Kingdom
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
Tate, London
The Saatchi Collection, London
United States of America
Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover
Akron Art Museum, Akron
Albright Knox Gallery, Buffalo

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