Sol LeWitt, American master of conceptual art, dies at 78
wazzzy
Sol LeWitt, a humble artist known for dynamic wall paintings and a
founder of minimal and conceptual art styles, died Sunday in New York,
according to published reports.
The 78-year-old artist, who was born in Hartford and lived for the
last two decades in Chester, Conn., died from complications from
cancer, The New York Times and The Hartford Courant reported Monday.
LeWitt preferred to let his work speak for itself and frequently
avoided media attention.
"He never felt that art has to do with the personality of the person
who made it," Andrea Miller-Keller, a former Hartford curator and
longtime friend, told The Courant. "It's not about the star power but
about the art."
Much of his art was based on variations of spheres, triangles and
other basic geometric shapes. His sculptures commonly were based on
cubes using precise, measured formats and carefully developed
variations.
By the mid-1960s, LeWitt had begun to experiment with wall drawings.
The idea was considered radical, in part because he knew they would
eventually be painted over and destroyed.
LeWitt believed that the idea of his work superseded the art itself,
Miller-Keller said. "The essence of LeWitt's work is the original idea
as formulated in the artist's mind."
LeWitt's first wall drawing, part of a 1968 display in New York, was
so striking that the gallery owner couldn't bear to paint over it. She
insisted the LeWitt come and do it himself, which he did without
hesitation.
Born Sept. 9, 1928 to Russian immigrants in Hartford, LeWitt was
raised by his mother and an aunt following the death of his father
with LeWitt was 6.
He completed a traditional art program at Syracuse University in 1949,
saying that he studied art because he "didn't know what else to do,"
he told a reporter years later. "It was something I knew I liked."
LeWitt was in the U.S. Army for two years during the Korean War,
serving in non-combat positions in California, Japan and Korea.
In 1953 he moved to New York and held a variety of short-term jobs,
including working as a night receptionist at the Museum of Modern Art.
His first solo art show was at the John Daniels Gallery in New York in
1965 and he taught at several New York art schools.
He lived for much of the 1980s in Spoleto, Italy, before returning to
Connecticut in the late 1980s.
He is survived by a wife, Carol, and two daughters. Funeral services
will be private.
Hyfler/Rosner
"wazzzy" <enter...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> Much of his art was based on variations of spheres,
> triangles and
> other basic geometric shapes. His sculptures commonly were
> based on
> cubes using precise, measured formats and carefully
> developed
> variations.
>
> By the mid-1960s, LeWitt had begun to experiment with wall
> drawings.
> The idea was considered radical, in part because he knew
> they would
> eventually be painted over and destroyed.
That's sad. He was one of my favorite artists. I
absolutely adored his wall drawings, and I'm not a big fan
of that kind of art in general. His 2000 retrospective at
the Whitney was a knockout.