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Early LeWitt
School of Visual Arts Exhibitions no. 1269: Sketch for Groups exhibition poster, November 11 – December 3, 1969.
December 17, 2013

Early LeWitt

Following the 1966 landmark conceptual exhibition Working drawings and other visible things on paper not necessarily meant to be viewed as art was Groups, a 1969 show at SVA curated by Lucy Lippard. The other participating artists were Robert Barry, Iain Baxter, Mel Bochner, Jon Borofsky, Martin Bressler, Frazer Dougherty, Stylianos Gianakos, Gloria Greenberg, Alex Hay, Douglas Huebler, Robert Huot, Christine Kozlov, June Leaf, Robert Mangold, Silvia Mangold, Henry Pearson, Adrian Piper, Alejandro Puente, Harry Savage, Michael Snow, Keith Sonnier, Peter Tangen, Joyce Weiland, Lawrence Weiner, and Kestutis Zapkus.


While we have yet to unearth the final exhibition poster, we do have a sketch and mechanical, which indicate the poster was printed in white on black. Here’s the mechanical in reverse.


School of Visual Arts Exhibitions no. 1269: Mechanical for Groups exhibition poster, 1969.


Right around the same time, LeWitt showed his wall drawings in a solo show at Dwan Gallery.


Blank gray square with text on all sides against light gray background


 

4-square grey grid with text on all sides against light grey background


 
Exhibition Announcement for Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings at Dwan Gallery, 29 W. 57th Street, opening October 4, 1969.

In 1970, LeWitt participated in another group show at SVA curated by Marsha Tucker composed of paintings and drawings from “the threshold of visibility, involving a conscious effort by the spectator to discover the image.” Naturally, the exhibition poster is nearly impossible to see, but here it is for the record.


barely perceptible off-white on a white background of text and a grid of squares


 
School of Visual Arts Exhibitions no. 181: Untitled Exhibition, February 2, 1970.

LeWitt was joined by Jim Beres, Howard Buchwald, David Diao, Alan Hacklin, Carol Haerer, Han, Bob Huot, Donald Kaufman, Jane Kaufman, Bill Komodore, Brice Marden, Robert Moskowitz, David Prentice, Robert Ryman, Alan Sonfist, and Bob Zakanych.


A line of black text against white background; header reads "Line"


 
School of Visual Arts Exhibitions no. 276: Line, January 26 – February 18, 1976.

Finally, in 1976, Lewitt participated in another group exhibition, called Line, at SVA’s Visual Arts Museum. The show was curated by Janet Kardon and also featured the work Dan Flavin and Cy Twombly, among others. Just a couple of months later, LeWitt’s All Combinations of Arcs from Four Corners, Arcs from Four Sides, Straight Lines, Not-Straight Lines and Broken Lines was exhibited at SVA.