1972 Sam Gilliam Nile Color Lithograph
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GUEST:
What I brought in was a Sam Gilliam. It's titled "Nile." Sam Gilliam is an African American artist based out of Washington, D.C. My father purchased it. He has purchased previous Gilliams. Unfortunately, they got burned up in a fire, so he lost all of them except for "Nile" and one other piece.
APPRAISER:
Ah, so, and, and how much did he pay for it? Do you remember?
GUEST:
He thinks somewhere between $275 and maybe $350.
APPRAISER:
About when did your dad obtain this piece?
GUEST:
It was in the early '70s, so not long after it was produced.
APPRAISER:
Where did he obtain it? Was he in Washington, D.C.?
GUEST:
Washington, D.C., yes, sir.
APPRAISER:
Ah, okay.
GUEST:
I love it, I've always loved it. It's, it's hung up in our house ever since I was a little kid, so...
APPRAISER:
You've been looking at it for quite a while?
GUEST:
I've been looking at it for a few years, yes.
APPRAISER (chuckles): This is a color lithograph by Sam Gilliam, uh, that he created in 1972. It's from an edition of 67. It's actually also on handmade paper. Sam Gilliam was born in 1933. It is with, uh, deep sadness that I have to say that, uh, in June of 2022, Sam Gilliam passed away. So this work is dated, '72, and numbered, 58 over 67. In 1972, Sam Gilliam had work displayed at the, uh, Venice Biennale.
GUEST:
Oh, nice.
APPRAISER:
He was the first African American artist to actually display there. He was with a group of other artists, but, uh, it was a pretty significant year for him in 1972. And the other interesting thing and cool thing about this particular piece is that the Museum of Modern Art in New York City actually owns one of these.
GUEST:
Oh, cool.
APPRAISER:
So that's, that's kind of nice to, to, to know.
GUEST:
That's very cool. Yeah. I did not know that.
APPRAISER:
How much do you think it might be worth?
GUEST:
I'm thinking, with inflation, probably $1,000?
APPRAISER:
Ah, well, actually, I would put a retail value on this of $8,500.
GUEST:
Oh, nice! Awesome!
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