Exhibit » Sol LeWitt Wall Drawing Retrospective.

Wall Drawing 1247
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The iconic, large scale wall drawings of American artist Solomon “Sol” LeWitt (1928–2007) propelled him to fame in the late 1960s. During this time he played a key role in the development of the Minimalism and the Conceptual art movements. Mr. LeWitt’s definition of the latter: “In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.” (“Paragraphs on Conceptual Art”, Artforum, June 1967.) So essentially, in conceptual art the execution of the work does not require the artist’s hand. In fact, LeWitt’s multiple abstract wall drawings were rarely executed by LeWitt himself.

His method was to devise a set of instructions—for instance, draw 10,000 ten-inch lines, covering the wall evenly—that could be carried out by assistants or, for that matter, by anyone. Often he never even saw the finished work, much less touched it. [...] This cerebral formula turned out to be a recipe for irresistible eye candy. Draw 10,000 ten-inch lines, and you end up with a dynamic pattern of vector formations. A great LeWitt wall drawing may start like an algebra lesson, but it ends like a Renaissance fresco. (Read more at TIME magazine)

Mr. LeWitt began as a graphic designer in his early career following graduation from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He initially worked at Seventeen magazine creating paste-ups, mechanicals, and photostats. Later for a year he worked as a graphic designer in the office of architect I.M. Pei. But in 1960 LeWitt took an entry level job at the MoMA where some notable fellow artists were his co-workers and the rest as they say is history.

In collaboration with the artist before his death in 2007, the Yale University Art Gallery conceived the massive exhibit Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective which opened in November of 2008 at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) and will remain on view for 25 years until the year 2033. The exhibit must be quite remarkable to see in person—105 large scale LeWitt wall drawings drafted and painted on specially built walls (installed per the artist’s specifications) all under one roof within 3 stories of a 27,000 square foot historical structure that was architecturally restored specifically for this exhibit.

If you live in the Northeastern US or are visiting the area I encourage you to take in this exhibit. More information and links can be found at the end of this post including details on the Cabinet magazine and MASS MoCA collaborative exhibit opening Thursday, January 20th.

After nearly six months of intensive drafting and painting by a team of some sixty-five artists and art students, Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective is fully installed. [...] The project has been undertaken by the Gallery, MASS MoCA, and the Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, Massachusetts. (Read more at MASS MoCA)

[ ©Sol LeWitt & Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art ]

Wall Drawing 853 / view timelapse video

Wall Drawing 391 / view timelapse video

Wall Drawing 1171 / view timelapse video

Wall Drawing 1260

Wall Drawing 999 / view timelapse video

Wall Drawing 289 / view timelapse video

Wall Drawing 692
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Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective – MASS MoCA exhibit

MASS MoCA: On view until 2033
1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA
11 am–5 pm every day except Tuesday

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An Exchange with Sol LeWitt – Cabinet & MASS MoCA collaborative exhibit

Cabinet: January 21, 2011 – March 5, 2011
Opening reception: Thursday, January 20, 7–9 pm
300 Nevins Street, Brooklyn; Tuesday to Saturday­, 12–6 pm

MASS MoCA: January 23, 2011 – March 31, 2011
Opening reception: Saturday, January 22, 7–9 pm
1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA; 11 am–5 pm every day except Tuesday

Although celebrated for the revolutionary role he played in the development of both Conceptualism and Minimalism, Sol LeWitt was also renowned for his exchanges of artwork with various artists throughout his lifetime. For LeWitt, the act of exchange seemed to be not only a personal gesture, but also an integral part of his conceptual practice. In addition to encouraging the circulation of artworks through a gift economy that challenged the art world’s dominant economic model, LeWitt’s exchanges with friends and strangers have the same qualities of generosity and risk that characterized his work in general. In the spirit of continuing the artist’s lifelong philosophy of open exchange, and in conjunction with the “LeWitt Wall Drawing Retrospective” on view at MASS MoCA through 2033, MASS MoCA and Cabinet present “An Exchange with Sol LeWitt”—a curatorial project initiated by independent curator Regine Basha. The two-part exhibition will be on view at Cabinet from January 21 through March 5, 2011 and in MASS MoCA’s Prints and Drawings Gallery from January 23 through March 31, 2011.

(Read more at Cabinet)

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MASS MoCA: Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective / Flickr Group

Further reading:
Sol LeWitt / Wikipedia.org
Sol LeWitt’s Dazzling Line Drawings / TIME magazine
Oral history interview with Sol LeWitt, 1974 July 15
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
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