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.