Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
'The idea becomes a machine that makes the art'.
Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings are a cornerstone of conceptual art, based on the artist’s belief that the idea behind an artwork is more important than its physical execution.
Instead of producing the finished paintings, LeWitt famously created diagrams and instructions for how to make his work, backed up by a certificate of authenticity. Professional artists from LeWitt’s studio execute those instructions to this day, adapting them to their setting; walls can be painted over and the work reinstalled anywhere.
In this exuberant piece from LeWitt's final years, 'Wall Drawing 1112', the artist specified the use of each primary and secondary colour in broken rectangular bands, with no two bands of the same colour allowed to touch.
📍 See this LeWitt in person at our Rockefeller Center galleries. Admission to the exhibition is free and open to the public.
🔗 Discover more: christies.com/en/lot/lot-6585185?cid=EM_SM_O_YT_Inc_LDP___24891_2021CNY0525____VID__
📅 Defined Space: The Collection of Henry S. McNeil, Jr. | New York | 20 May
'The idea becomes a machine that makes the art'.
Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings are a cornerstone of conceptual art, based on the artist’s belief that the idea behind an artwork is more important than its physical execution.
Instead of producing the finished paintings, LeWitt famously created diagrams and instructions for how to make his work, backed up by a certificate of authenticity. Professional artists from LeWitt’s studio execute those instructions to this day, adapting them to their setting; walls can be painted over and the work reinstalled anywhere.
In this exuberant piece from LeWitt's final years, 'Wall Drawing 1112', the artist specified the use of each primary and secondary colour in broken rectangular bands, with no two bands of the same colour allowed to touch.
📍 See this LeWitt in person at our Rockefeller Center galleries. Admission to the exhibition is free and open to the public.
🔗 Discover more: christies.com/en/lot/lot-6585185?cid=EM_SM_O_YT_Inc_LDP___24891_2021CNY0525____VID__
📅 Defined Space: The Collection of Henry S. McNeil, Jr. | New York | 20 May
