Uguisu

On Display

As Sam Gilliam is one of Washington’s most eminent working artists, it is fitting that the GW Collection has acquired a representative sampling of the artist’s iconic works. "Uguisu" is the largest work by Gilliam in the GW Collection. This challenging composition is highly experimental, combining textural painting and sculptural relief. The title is Japanese for bush warbler (Horornis diphone), and the streaks of bright yellow allude to the melodious bird and its call. The apparent gaps between the work’s individual panels may be compared to rests in musical compositions. In conjunction with a major retrospective of the artist's work at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 2005-2006, the Brady Art Gallery organized an exhibition of Gilliam’s prints, curated by Ruth Fine.
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Artist/Maker:
Culture:
American; African American
Medium:
acrylic on canvas on board plus aluminum sculptural pieces
Collection:
GW Collection
Accession Number:
P.94.36
Credit Line:
Gift of Anne and Donald Brown, 1994
Date:
1986
Copyright:
© Estate of Sam Gilliam / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Object Type:
Painting
Dimensions:
257.81 H x 340.36 W x 22.86 D cm (101 1/2 H x 134 W x 9 D in)
Exhibition History:
Expansive Visions: GW Collections Past - Present - Future, May 20, 2016 - October 26, 2018
On Campus Loans at Foggy Bottom, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, Washington DC, June 03, 2024
Unruly Discourse: A communal excavation, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, Olivia Kohler-Maga, August 22, 2025 - December 06, 2025
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Digitization of The Textile Museum Collection is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Shirley Z. Johnson and Charles Rumph Photography Fund and the Avenir Foundation, Inc.