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.