Throughout his life and career, Sam Gilliam pushed the boundaries of abstraction by consistently inventing forms and incorporating new materials into his work. Gilliam established himself as a pioneer of abstract art when he freed the canvas from the constraints of the wooden stretcher, forever changing the trajectory of painting. His iconic Drape paintings, which he continued to iterate over the course of his life, blur the boundaries between painting, sculpture and architecture and emphasize the experience and possibilities of painting. His work is often considered an evolution of Abstract Expressionism, alongside notable artists such as Jackson Pollock and Kenneth Noland, and is recognized for his revolutionary use of color as a means to create structure on the canvas and for his understanding of paint as a sculptural material. 

Gilliam was included in the Venice Biennale in 1972 and again for a second time in 2017, and was the subject of solo exhibitions at The Museum of Modern Art, New York (1971), The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (1982), J.B. Speed Memorial Museum, Louisville, Kentucky (1996), Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland (2018), and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (2022). Gilliam received the U.S. State Department’s Medal of Arts in 2015 for his cultural diplomacy, as well as honorary doctorates from eight universities. He was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2022. In addition to his countless professional accolades, Gilliam maintained an active relationship with young artists and curators through his work as a teacher and his openness to art practitioners and scholars visiting his studio.