Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Alice Adams. It dates from 1997 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
The artist signed it in the corner with the date 10/94 (though the work is from 1997).
This drawing is all black lines on white paper. The lines form a big shape that looks like a heart or a teardrop. Inside that shape are tiny, repeating hexagons—like a honeycomb but upside down. The edges get narrower toward the bottom.
The artist signed it in the corner with the date 10/94 (though the work is from 1997). It’s part of a set of forty prints, so this is just one piece in a larger collection.
If you like this, check out lithography to see how it’s made.
Overview
Created in 1997, this lithograph is one of forty prints assembled in a single portfolio by American artist Alice Adams. The image consists of stark black lines on white paper, forming a large, rounded silhouette reminiscent of a heart or teardrop. Within the outline, a dense field of tiny inverted hexagons creates a patterned interior that tapers toward the lower edge.
Subject & Meaning
The composition juxtaposes a simple, organic outline with a repetitive geometric lattice, suggesting a dialogue between natural forms and constructed order. The heart‑like contour may evoke emotional or bodily associations, while the honeycomb‑style cells introduce a sense of systematic repetition, inviting viewers to contemplate the relationship between the individual and the collective.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the work relies on the traditional stone or metal plate process, where the artist draws directly with greasy media to produce the precise black lines. The stark monochrome palette emphasizes line quality and contrast, aligning with Adams’s broader interest in minimal yet conceptually layered visual strategies.
History & Provenance
Signed by Adams in the lower corner with the date 10/94, the piece reflects a later production date of 1997. It entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it is cataloged as part of the artist’s print portfolio, representing her shift from large‑scale sculpture to more intimate, reproducible formats.
Context
During the 1990s, Adams expanded her practice beyond site‑specific installations to include printmaking, integrating her concerns with space, form, and materiality into a portable medium. This lithograph exemplifies that transition, offering a compact yet conceptually resonant work that aligns with contemporary explorations of pattern and abstraction.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alice Adams (born November 16, 1930) is an American visual artist known for her sculpture and site-specific land art in the 1970s and for her major public art projects in transit systems, airports, university campuses…
