Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Alice Baber. It dates from 1967 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
The work reflects her engagement with Abstract Expressionism, emphasizing gesture and chromatic energy over representational content.
Created in 1967, this lithograph by Alice Baber is part of her exploration of abstract form through printmaking. Though primarily known for painting in oil and watercolor, Baber turned to lithography to experiment with fluid color interactions. The work reflects her engagement with Abstract Expressionism, emphasizing gesture and chromatic energy over representational content. Its non-objective composition invites attention to materiality and movement rather than narrative.
Subject & Meaning
The piece avoids recognizable imagery, instead presenting a dynamic interplay of color and shape. Bold yellows, reds, and blues overlap in irregular fields, with a central white oval acting as a focal point surrounded by gestural red strokes. The forms suggest energy rather than objects, evoking emotional resonance through contrast and rhythm. The absence of figuration aligns with mid-century abstraction’s focus on inner experience over external reality.
Technique & Style
Baber employed lithography, a process using a flat stone surface to transfer ink, allowing for spontaneous, layered applications. The print’s uneven edges and splashed textures indicate direct, physical handling of the medium—likely achieved through washes and wiping techniques. This method enabled a loose, painterly quality unusual in traditional printmaking, bridging the immediacy of brushwork with the reproducibility of the press.
History & Provenance
Baber produced this work during a period of active engagement with the Parisian art scene, where she lived and studied through the 1950s and 1960s. While specific exhibition history for this lithograph is not documented, it aligns with her broader practice of creating prints alongside paintings. Her commitment to advancing women artists likely influenced her choice to explore accessible mediums like lithography, which allowed broader distribution of her work.
Context
In the late 1960s, Abstract Expressionism was evolving, with artists increasingly embracing process and material experimentation. Baber’s lithograph reflects this shift, paralleling contemporaries who valued gesture and color over structure. As a woman working in a male-dominated field, her participation in printmaking also aligned with feminist efforts to expand visibility for female artists beyond traditional painting hierarchies.
Legacy
Though less widely known than some of her male peers, Baber’s prints contribute to a broader understanding of Abstract Expressionism’s diversity. Her use of lithography demonstrated how women artists adapted technical mediums to express personal vision. Her advocacy for female artists helped reshape institutional recognition, ensuring that works like this lithograph remain part of a more inclusive art historical record.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alice Baber (August 22, 1928 – October 2, 1982) was an American abstract expressionist painter who worked in oil and watercolor.
