Sol LeWitt: Creating Place

Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) was born in Hartford, Connecticut. As a pioneer of conceptual art, he has had a major influence on 20th century American art. After serving in the United States Army, LeWitt moved to New York and attended the Cartoonist and Illustrators School (now the School of Visual Arts). LeWitt employed basic cubic forms, serial structures and modular grids as key elements in his work. The art work itself emphasizes the conception of the initial idea as LeWitt perceives it. His titles are convoluted but describe the essence of his concept behind each work. They serve as instructions for whoever executes the drawing and explanations to the viewers of the processes involved.

LeWitt created more than 1,200 wall drawings, both in black and white and in color, that have been viewed by millions of visitors. Wall Drawing #618 is an immersive experience for Museum visitors, creating a very special place. Some of his drawings have become permanent installations but many are painted over after the close of the exhibitions. His permanent drawings include All Combinations of Arcs from Corners and Sides; Straight, Not-Straight, and Broken Lines a 1972 drawing in blue chalk that covers the entire wall of the Kuntshalle in Bern, Switzerland, and a similarly titled work in white chalk on a black wall (1975) that is located in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Other works can be found in the Tate Gallery in London, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.