Sol LeWitt

1st wall: 24 lines from the center
1976

Encapsulating the artist’s idea that “the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work,” Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings are comprised of instructions that enable others to execute them when the work is to be exhibited. The only permanent, concrete form of Wall Drawing #289 is a set of typewritten guidelines and a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. The instructions often mark the end of the artist’s involvement in the realization of a work and separate the conception of the work from the craft of making it. Wall Drawing #289—when executed according to the instructions given in the work’s lengthy title—covers four walls. The exact angle and length of the lines are determined by those who draw them, and the work’s precise configuration and scale may be adapted to fit a variety of architectural contexts. Consequently, the wall drawing can differ significantly with each realization.

Not on view

Date
1976

Classification
Drawings

Medium
Wax crayon, graphite pencil, and paint on wall

Dimensions
Dimensions variable

Accession number
78.1.1

Credit line
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Gilman Foundation, Inc.

Rights and reproductions
©Sol LeWitt/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

API
artworks/25527

Part of a series:

Wall Drawing #289

4 works

A digital abstract image featuring a network of white lines intersecting at various points against a dark background with a grid pattern, creating a visual effect reminiscent of a constellation map or a complex web.