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Wall Drawing #821: A black square divided horizontally and vertically into four equal parts, each with a different direction of alternating flat and glossy bands

A work made of acrylic paint.
Courtesy of Lisson Gallery, photo by Stephen White.

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  • A work made of acrylic paint.

Date:

1997

Artist:

Sol LeWitt
American, 1928-2007

About this artwork

Over nearly four decades, Sol LeWitt’s work—equal parts conceptual and visual—introduced new ways of making and thinking about art. The artist posited his influential ideas most clearly in over 1,200 wall drawings, which he conceived between 1968 and his death in 2007. LeWitt shared the creation of his work with other makers—trained draftsman and, in most cases, assistants hired from local art schools or institutions—extending the collaborative possibilities of his artwork indefinitely. Through the 1980s, the artist used only traditional drawing media such as crayon, ink, and pencil. In the following decade, however, acrylic paint became his dominant medium. Wall Drawing #821 depicts a signature motif with monumental solemnity. The work comprises a grid of horizontal, vertical, and opposing diagonal lines, which were LeWitt’s most fundamental geometric and linear building blocks. The artist usually rendered this motif graphically; in this work, however, the figure-ground relationship is articulated solely through the juxtaposition of subtly differentiated matte and gloss paints.

Status

Currently Off View

Artist

Sol LeWitt

Title

Wall Drawing #821: A black square divided horizontally and vertically into four equal parts, each with a different direction of alternating flat and glossy bands

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1997

Medium

Acrylic paint

Dimensions

Variable: 365.8 × 365.8 cm (144 × 144 in.)

Credit Line

Through prior gifts of Judith Neisser and Mary and Leigh Block; Norman Waite Harris Purchase Fund

Reference Number

2006.168

Copyright

© 2008 The Estate of Sol LeWitt

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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