While New York City’s art scene in the 1950s and ’60s revolved around Abstract Expressionism, multidisciplinary artist Sol LeWitt paved an alternative path, creating a prolific output of work in the genres of minimalism and, later, Conceptual art.
While LeWitt is perhaps best known for his immense “wall drawings,” he created work in a wide range of media, including drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. (However, in a characteristic rebuttal of canonical art history, he referred to these pieces as “structures.”) He also produced several texts, including the seminal Sentences on Conceptual Art (1969).
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1928, LeWitt received a BFA from Syracuse University before going to work as a graphic designer for the renowned architect I.M. Pei. He would later work at the book counter at the Museum of Modern Art, where his colleagues included fellow artists. LeWitt’s early exposure to architecture may well have had outsize influence on his subsequent career: He was known for the geometric nature of his work, specifically his fastidious, near-obsessive treatment of the cube, which he rendered repeatedly in various ways throughout his paintings, structures and wall drawings.
In the 1960s, LeWitt showed in several group exhibitions throughout New York and also began to experiment with three-dimensional structures, most modular riffs on the cube shape. His work was included in “Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to Be Viewed as Art,” curated by Mel Bochner, another leading exponent of Conceptualism.
Later, LeWitt debuted his now-iconic wall drawings, creating work directly on the walls of galleries and show spaces, beginning with pioneering gallerist Paula Cooper’s inaugural show in 1968. The wall drawings became a prime example of LeWitt’s philosophical approach to art, with their installation often carried out by museum staff or curators following precise instructions from the artist.
“The idea,” the artist once said, “becomes a machine that makes the art.” LeWitt continued to produce work until his death in 2007.
Find a collection of original Sol LeWitt art on 1stDibs.
A sphere lit from the top, four sides and all their combinations
By Sol LeWitt
Located in New York, NY
This artwork by Sol Lewitt is offered by CLAMP in New York City. A sphere lit from the top, four sides and all their combinations 2004 Signed and numbered in pencil, verso Archiva...
Archival Pigment
$1,350
H 36 in W 44 in D 0.1 in
"Untitled (Nr. 0983)" Black & White Photography 36" x 44" Ed. of 12 by Ben Cope
By Ben Cope
Located in Culver City, CA
"Untitled (Nr. 0983)" Black & White Photography 36" x 44" Ed. of 12 by Ben Cope Unframed - ships rolled in a tube Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by th...
Archival Pigment
1972 Porsche 911 Targa, 2020
By Nick Veasey
Located in München, BY
Edition 15, framed Chromaluxe Original 1972 Porsche 911 Targa A man with x-ray vision, NICK VEASEY creates art that shows what it is really like inside. Nick’s work with radiograph...
Archival Pigment
$1,280
H 12.8 in W 9.06 in D 0.08 in
Barber's Brush Limited Edition Pigment Print, Signed, 2016, 10x8
By Ian Sanderson
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Barber's brush - Limited edition pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm, 2016 - Limited Editions of 15 Image size : 10" x 8" ( the white margin is not counted) Pr...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Di...
$1,950
H 24 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
"Edens Dreaming" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition 1/15 by Aaron Mcpolin
By Aaron McPolin
Located in Culver City, CA
"Edens Dreaming" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition 1/15 by Aaron Mcpolin Medium: Archival Giclee Print Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by the artist Availa...
Archival Pigment
$1,250
H 27.5 in W 19.6 in D 0.1 in
Radio Woman, The Castelloland Series. Digital Collage Color Photograph
By Paloma Castello
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Castelloland works with objects whose uniqueness is fundamental to the narrative of each story, as each image reacts and develops through the interaction between the word and the obj...
Archival Pigment, Black and White
$4,500
H 57 in W 37 in D 1 in
"Drift 02" Waterscape Abstract Photography 57" x 37" Edition 1/3 by Rowan Daly
By Rowan Daly
Located in Culver City, CA
"Drift 02" Waterscape Abstract Photography 57" x 37" Edition 1/3 by Rowan Daly Printed on Fine Art Metalitic Paper. Comes in a frame. Signed and numbered ...
Digital, Archival Pigment
$700
H 18 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
Untitled (Nr. 0983) Black & White Photography 18" x 24" in Ed. of 20 by Ben Cope
By Ben Cope
Located in Culver City, CA
Untitled (Nr. 0983) Black & White Photography 18" x 24" in Ed. of 20 by Ben Cope Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by the artist. Unframed - ships rolled in a...
Archival Pigment
Papilio ulysses
By Jo Whaley
Located in Sante Fe, NM
THE THEATER OF INSECTS Insects depicted larger than life, approach a human scale. One can confront them face to face and wonder at their structure and designs. In these images, the...
Archival Pigment
$425
H 11 in W 16 in D 0.1 in
'Silver basket, White Tulips' Limited Edition Photograph. Minimal Still Life
By Sophia Milligan
Located in Penzance, GB
'Silver basket 1761, White Tulips, Blue Hyacinths' Limited edition (1 of 25) archival black and white photograph. Unframed. _________________ Sophia's po...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment
$1,250
H 27.5 in W 19.6 in D 0.1 in
TV Capsule from the Castelloland series. Digital Collage Color Photograph
By Paloma Castello
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Castelloland works with objects whose uniqueness is fundamental to the narrative of each story, as each image reacts and develops through the interaction between the word and the obj...
Color, Archival Pigment
$1,350
H 36 in W 44 in D 0.1 in
Untitled (Nr. 0113) Photography 36" x 44" Edition of 12 by Ben Cope
By Ben Cope
Located in Culver City, CA
Untitled (Nr. 0113) Photography 36" x 44" Edition of 12 by Ben Cope Unframed - ships rolled in a tube Signed and numbered by the artist. Ben Cope + Rowan Daly Off the Grid Off th...
Archival Pigment
Tactile Light
By Carla van de Puttelaar
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Carla van de Puttelaar's photographs allow the eye to touch skin on many levels. Although her primary subject is often the female body, in recent years she has also begun to examine...
Archival Pigment