Marion Sampler was an American artist. He was one of the first African-American architectural graphic designers in Los Angeles in the 1950s.

Born in Anniston, Alabama in 1920, Marion Sampler went on to graduate from the University of Southern California in 1955. Sampler became an accomplished graphic designer; in fact, he became one of the first African-American architectural graphic designers in Los Angeles while working for Victor Gruen and Associates. The stained glass dome in South Coast Plaza's Jewel Court that Sampler designed while at Gruen and Associates illustrates his geometric design aesthetic.

Concurrently, Sampler practiced painting in a similar geometric minimalist fashion. He blurred the lines between design and art--participating in the Los Angeles County Museum's design and typography program, in which graphic designers created the images for the museum's promotional materials. Sampler's work has appeared in significant indexes of African-American Art including J. Edward Atkinson's Black Dimensions in Contemporary American Art (1971) and Samella Lewis' African American Art and Artists (2003).

Sampler was known for his usage of geometry and shapes. His signature style featured brightly colored geometric shapes tightly packed into grid-like layouts. Sampler favored triangles and triangular forms, visible in many of his commercial designs as well as in his paintings. Pattern played a central part in Sampler's image making process, as this is a reoccurring theme in his designs. Sampler was influenced by Black quilt makers in Southern America, especially referencing their "birds of flight" form in his triangular patterns.

Frank Gehry, the prolific American architect, was a friend and colleague of the artist, who credited Sampler with exposing him to gallery scene in Los Angeles. Sampler, who died in 1998, has art work in the permanent collection of the California African American Museum.

Twentieth (20!) ANNIVERSARY SALE - JUNE 2026

20 Works on sale for 20 days

Twentieth (20!) ANNIVERSARY SALE -
JUNE 2026