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Sam Gilliam, Solar Canopy

Sam Gilliam

American · 1933–2022

Sam Gilliam was an American abstract painter, sculptor, and arts educator. Born in Mississippi and raised in Kentucky, Gilliam spent his entire adult life in Washington, D.C.,… (Wikipedia)

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227lots offered2003–2026years recorded93%sold (204)$8.3kSign up free to seemedian price

1 work by Sam Gilliam with an auction history (offered more than once) →

Record prices

  1. Sam Gilliam, Dew, 1974-1975, collage, acrylic, dye pigments and oil glazes on canvas mounted to boardDewPhillips · $412,800≈ £306,436≈ €349,682Sign up to see
  2. Sam Gilliam, Sun Woman, 1970, acrylic on canvasSun WomanRago Auctions · $409,600≈ £303,183≈ €350,026Sign up to see
  3. Sam Gilliam, Reef II, 1976, acrylic and canvas collage on beveled edge canvasReef IIPhillips · $371,700≈ £299,227≈ €353,159Sign up to see

Sam Gilliam’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

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  1. Sam Gilliam, Focus II, 2014, watercolor on rice paper
    Focus II, 2014
    Watercolor · Paper
    28 1/2 x 46 1/2 in. (72.4 x 118.1 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 209
    $88,900≈ £71,029≈ €81,702Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $50,000–70,000View at Phillips ↗
  2. Sam Gilliam, Untitled, 1970, ink and watercolor on Japanese paper
    Untitled, 1970
    Watercolor · Paper
    24 3/4 x 26 in. (62.9 x 66 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 258
    $40,640≈ £32,470≈ €37,350Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $20,000–30,000View at Phillips ↗
  3. Sam Gilliam, Untitled, Abstract Painting
    Untitled
    Abstract Painting
    Palm Beach Modern Auctions · · Lot 24
    $40,960≈ £32,495≈ €37,189Price realizedSign up free to seeView at Palm Beach Modern Auctions ↗
  4. Sam Gilliam, Untitled, 1984, Pencil signed and dated "S
    Untitled, 1984
    Drawing
    21.75 x 27.75 in
    Sloans & Kenyon · · Lot 204
    $17,000≈ £13,614≈ €15,396HammerSign up free to seeEst. $10,000–15,000View at Sloans & Kenyon ↗
  5. Sam Gilliam, Cuatro, 1994, Monoprint with screenprint, collage, acrylic, stitching and embossing in colors, on handmade paper, the full sheet
    Cuatro, 1994
    Print (other) · Paper · ed. 20/40
    S. 33 1/2 x 25 1/2 in. (85.1 x 64.8 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 72
    $5,292≈ £4,393≈ €4,946Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–6,000View at Phillips ↗
  6. For 200, 1976
    Lithograph · ed. 67/100
    18 x 19.5 in
    Helmuth Stone Gallery · · Lot 64A
    $3,465≈ £2,871≈ €3,215$2,750 + $715 premiumSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–3,000View at Helmuth Stone Gallery ↗
  7. Sam Gilliam, Untitled, 1976, acrylic and canvas collage on canvas, in artist’s frame, diptych
    Untitled, 1976
    Acrylic · Canvas
    each 33 5/8 x 33 5/8 in. (85.4 x 85.4 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 112
    $157,500≈ £132,331≈ €151,268Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $120,000–180,000View at Phillips ↗
  8. Sam Gilliam, Over and Under, 2009, acrylic on assembled birch panel
    Over and Under, 2009
    Acrylic · Panel
    36 1/2 x 35 x 3 1/2 in. (92.7 x 88.9 x 8.9 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 214
    $30,240≈ £25,407≈ €29,043Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $20,000–30,000View at Phillips ↗
  9. Sam Gilliam, Buoy Landscape I, III and IV, 1982, etching, aquatint, drypoint and roulette on handmade wove paper
    Buoy Landscape I, III and IV, 1982
    Etching · Paper
    each sheet 80.5cm x 61cm (31 3/4in x 24in)
    Lyon & Turnbull · · Lot 284
    £6,048≈ $6,988≈ €7,023Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £1,500–2,500View at Lyon & Turnbull ↗
  10. Sam Gilliam, Untitled, 1996, mixed media and monoprint on handmade paper
    Untitled, 1996
    Print (other) · Paper
    15½ h x 44½ w in (39 x 113 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 116
    $22,500≈ £20,011≈ €22,933Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $18,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Also offered, result not published (8)

Lots by Sam Gilliam that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Sam Gilliam paintings (83)Sam Gilliam acrylic paintings (51)Sam Gilliam mixed media (29)Sam Gilliam works on paper (49)Sam Gilliam watercolors (17)Sam Gilliam prints (64)Sam Gilliam etchings (5)Sam Gilliam lithographs (7)Sam Gilliam screenprints (24)Sam Gilliam woodcuts & linocuts (6)Sam Gilliam photographs (5)

Sam Gilliam signature

81 catalogued lots by Sam Gilliam record a signature line. The most common placement is lower right (47% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

  • lower right20
  • on the reverse18
  • lower centre2
  • lower left2
  • on the stretcher1

Form

  • signed38
  • signed and dated36
  • signed in pencil7
  • Signed and dated 'Sam Gilliam 19' lower right — Untitled, Phillips, Jun 26, 2026
  • Signed and dated "Sam Gilliam; 2019" lower right — Untitled, Phillips, May 21, 2026
  • Signed, titled and dated ""Dew" Sam Gilliam 74-75" on the reverse — Dew, Phillips, Feb 28, 2026

Sam Gilliam signature: all forms and examples →

About Sam Gilliam

Sam Gilliam was an American abstract painter, sculptor, and arts educator. Born in Mississippi and raised in Kentucky, Gilliam spent his entire adult life in Washington, D.C., eventually being described as the "dean" of the city's arts community. Originally associated with the Washington Color School, a group of Washington-area artists that developed a form of abstract art from color field painting in the 1950s and 1960s, Gilliam moved beyond the group's core aesthetics of flat fields of color in the mid-60s by introducing both process and sculptural elements to his paintings.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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