Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Alexander Calder. It dates from 1971 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1971, this untitled lithograph belongs to a series of eleven lithographs and a single screenprint produced by Alexander Calder. The work is part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it is displayed among the museum’s holdings of twentieth‑century prints.
Subject & Meaning
The composition consists of several abstract color fields set against a white ground. Four yellow forms—two larger and two smaller—are interspersed with irregular patches of red, blue and black. The shapes lack representational references, emphasizing pure visual relationships rather than narrative content.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the image employs flat, uniform areas of pigment without gradation or line work. The edges of each form appear smooth yet slightly irregular, suggesting a spontaneous application of ink that was transferred from the stone or plate to paper. The overall effect is one of bold, unmodulated color.
History & Provenance
The print was produced as part of Calder’s limited‑edition portfolio released in the early 1970s. After its creation, the work entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection, where it remains catalogued as an example of Calder’s exploration of print media alongside his more widely known sculptural practice.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alexander "Sandy" Calder was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobiles that embrace chance in their aesthetic, his static "stabiles", and his monumental public sculptures.
