Sol Lewitt Wall Drawing 260

MoMA, Floor 4

Over the course of his prolific, influential career, Sol LeWitt (American, 1928–2007) produced more than 1,200 wall drawings. This installation, which fills a single large gallery, features one of LeWitt's celebrated examples from the Museum's collection, Wall Drawing #260 (1975). The work's subtitle serves to describe the installation: "on black walls, all two-part combinations of white arcs from corners and sides, and white straight, not-straight, and broken lines." Although LeWitt's wall drawings evoke the tradition of Italian fresco paintings, they have established a distinct tradition of their own, in which linear systems, determined by LeWitt in advance, are carried out by others, be they artists, trained assistants, or novice volunteers, based upon his instructions. LeWitt compared his role to that of a composer who creates a score that may be played by musicians for generations to come. The concept—or score—remains constant, but the wall drawing, like a musical performance, will vary slightly each time it is realized anew.

Organized by Cora Rosevear, Associate Curator, with Veronica Roberts, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture.

This exhibition, part of an ongoing series highlighting noteworthy aspects of the Museum's collection, is made possible by BNP Paribas.

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