Sam Gilliam was an African-American painter associated with the Washington Color School movement. Gilliam’s hallmark “drape paintings,” are regarded as major contributions to the development of abstract painting in the United States. “We need to continue to think about the whole of what art is, what it does,” he once explained. “Even though my work is not overtly political, I believe art has the ability to call attention to politics and to remind us of this potential through its presence.” Born in Tupelo, MS, on November 30, 1933, Gilliam grew up in Kentucky and graduated with a BFA from the University of Louisville in 1955. In 1962, the artist moved to Washington, D.C., where he supported himself...