Sam Gilliam (b. November 30, 1933 in Tupelo, Mississippi) is an African American Color fiel painter associated with the Washington Color School, Abstract Expressionism and Lyrical Abstraction. He works on stretched, draped, and wrapped canvas, and adds sculptural 3D elements. He is recognized as the first artist to introduce the idea of a painted canvas hanging without stretcher bars c.1965, a major contribution to the Color Field School.