"Musketeers", 1998

Sam Gilliam created Musketeers (1998) as a thematic iteration on his 1997 show at Baumgartner Gallery in D.C. entitled “Five New Drape Paintings (The Three Musketeers).” Although the works included were on a smaller scale than the more monumental Drape paintings hung from ceilings, they are particularly powerful through their allusions to the body. Enlisted with the help of a former tailor when making these works, Gilliam endowed a physical and almost spiritual sense of presence to the garment-like pieces. This piece in particular recalls a coat or jacket given the upper shoulder-like folds and the sleeve-like appearance of the fabric in the middle.