Artist: Donald Sultan
Title: Wallflower 28 (from the Wallflowers series)
Medium: Color Screenprint on Paper
Image Size: 15.75" x 13.375"
Sheet Size: 24.25" x 21.625"
Edition: 37/190
Year: 2008
Inscription: Signed, titled, dated and numbered on front lower margin
Publisher: Har-El Printers & Publishers, Jaffa
Documentation: Includes a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Donald Sultan's "Wallflower 28" (2008) is a striking example from his celebrated Wallflowers series, blending graphic precision with playful rhythm. Rendered as a color screenprint, this work exemplifies Sultan's unique ability to elevate simple floral forms into bold, contemporary statements.
The composition features a highly stylized and repetitive pattern of floral silhouettes, arranged with intentional symmetry and balance. The rhythmic quality of the layout invites the viewer to engage with the work not only visually, but almost musically—its motif echoing like a visual beat across the surface. Sultan's minimalist linework and structured repetition bring a sense of order and modernity to the organic subject matter.
The color palette is vibrant and fresh, dominated by a vivid spring green that immediately captures the eye. Accents of sunny yellow and bright cherry red add cheerful contrast and movement, while a crisp white background sharpens the vibrancy of the colors and enhances the print's visual impact. These hues, though bright and playful, are rendered with Sultan's characteristic control, creating a composition that feels both joyful and refined.
Measuring 15.75 x 13.375 inches (image) on a larger 24.25 x 21.625 inch sheet, this print is signed, titled, dated, and numbered in pencil on the lower front margin as "37/190 Wallflower June 28 2008 DS". Published by Har-El Printers & Publishers in Jaffa, "Wallflower 28" comes with a gallery Certificate of Authenticity.
About Donald Sultan
Donald Sultan (b. 1951) is a celebrated American contemporary artist known for his bold, minimalist compositions that blur the boundaries between abstraction and representation. Best recognized for his use of industrial materials and striking floral motifs, Sultan has carved out a unique space in the art world, combining traditional themes with unconventional techniques.
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Sultan studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a BFA in 1973. He continued his education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he received his MFA in 1975. Shortly thereafter, he moved to New York City, a cultural hub that significantly influenced his artistic development. There, he began creating his signature large-scale paintings using materials like tar, linoleum, aluminum, vinyl, and Masonite—substances more commonly found in construction than in fine art studios.
Sultan rose to prominence in the 1980s alongside a generation of artists who challenged conventional art forms. His breakthrough works combined heavy, labor-intensive materials with delicate subject matter, such as flowers, fruits, and landscapes. This juxtaposition became a defining feature of his practice. In his iconic "Black Lemons" and "Fallen Flowers" series, for example, Sultan utilized black tar to render soft botanical silhouettes against stark, textured backgrounds, creating compositions that are both sensuous and solemn.
Throughout his career, Sultan has drawn upon classical still-life traditions while reinventing them through a modern, architectural lens. His flowers, while instantly recognizable as such, are reduced to their most elemental forms—bold, graphic, and often imposing. In this way, Sultan fuses the romanticism of traditional subject matter with a contemporary, almost industrial aesthetic. He once remarked, "My paintings are about the weight of things," reflecting his interest in the physicality and permanence of form.
In addition to paintings, Sultan has explored a variety of media, including prints, drawings, and sculpture. His silkscreens and aquatints are especially admired for their rich surfaces and refined compositional balance. Whether working on paper, panel, or in three dimensions, Sultan maintains a consistent visual language defined by simplicity, contrast, and an inherent elegance.
Sultan's work is held in the permanent collections of major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Tate Gallery (London), among others. He continues to live and work in New York City, where he remains active in producing new works and exhibiting internationally.
Donald Sultan's enduring appeal lies in his ability to elevate everyday subjects into monumental statements—straddling the line between abstraction and realism, fragility and strength. His work remains a powerful testament to the fusion of material innovation and aesthetic clarity in contemporary art.