Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an unspecified painting by the Contemporary Abstract artist Alejandro Puente. It dates from 1969 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1969, this untitled work by Alejandro Puente is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. It combines cloth, iron, pigments and paper to form a composition that resembles a laboratory tableau. A white tabletop supports an orderly array of small, colored blocks, while three sheets of paper mounted behind present schematic charts, swatches, and alphanumeric lists.
Subject & Meaning
The piece juxtaposes artistic materials with scientific documentation, suggesting an inquiry into the systematic properties of color and form. The charts break down visual elements—circles with radiating lines, grids of colored squares, and seemingly random sequences of letters and numbers—inviting viewers to consider the analytical processes underlying perception.
Technique & Style
Punte employs a mixed‑media approach, integrating textile and metal substrates with painted surfaces and printed paper. The precise arrangement of blocks and the crisp, diagrammatic quality of the paper elements reflect a minimalist aesthetic, while the use of pigments on cloth and iron introduces tactile contrast between soft and rigid components.
History & Provenance
The work was produced in the late 1960s, a period marked by experimentation across media. After its creation, it entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it remains on view. Its acquisition underscores MoMA’s interest in works that blur the boundaries between art, design, and scientific illustration.
Context
Emerging at a time when artists were increasingly engaging with systems, data, and process, Puente’s untitled piece aligns with contemporaneous movements that explored the intersection of visual art and empirical inquiry. The inclusion of charts and color matrices reflects broader trends in the late 1960s toward conceptual rigor and interdisciplinary practice.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alejandro Puente is a Mexican actor, writer and director. He is best known in his native country on stage for his role of Todd Anderson in the Mexican play adaptation Dead Poets Society, a play starring Alfonso Herrera.…
