Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by André Thomkins. It dates from 1973 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1973 by Swiss artist André Thomkins, this print combines engraving and aquatint techniques to produce a dense, tonal image. Thomkins was teaching at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf at the time, and the work reflects his engagement with experimental visual language. It is part of The Museum of Modern Art’s collection, representing his contribution to postwar printmaking.
Subject & Meaning
The figures’ stillness contrasts with the chaos of the fall, suggesting observation without intervention, a theme recurring in Thomkins’ satirical narratives.
The scene depicts a knight toppled from his horse, armor askew and reins tangled, surrounded by small, passive onlookers. A crooked lamppost adds to the disorientation. The imagery evokes a collapse of chivalric ideals, rendered with dry irony. The figures’ stillness contrasts with the chaos of the fall, suggesting observation without intervention, a theme recurring in Thomkins’ satirical narratives.
Technique & Style
Thomkins employed fine, layered cross-hatching to construct texture and shadow, particularly in the knight’s armor and the horse’s form. The uneven, urgent lines create a sense of agitation, while the dark aquatint washes deepen the mood. The engraving’s precision contrasts with the chaotic composition, reinforcing the tension between control and disorder inherent in the scene.
History & Provenance
Produced during Thomkins’ time at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, the work emerged from a period of intense collaboration with artists like Dieter Roth and Daniel Spoerri, who explored art as process and material experiment. Though not part of an Eat Art project, it shares their interest in subverting traditional forms. The piece entered MoMA’s collection shortly after its creation, reflecting institutional recognition of his printmaking.
Context
Thomkins’ work responded to the legacy of Surrealism and Dada, rejecting narrative clarity in favor of absurd, dreamlike juxtapositions. In early 1970s Germany, where institutional art was shifting toward conceptual frameworks, his prints offered a personal, visually dense counterpoint. The knight’s fall can be read as a metaphor for the erosion of rigid cultural symbols in a postwar world.
Legacy
Thomkins’ prints, including this one, influenced later generations of European artists interested in narrative ambiguity and graphic intensity. His use of engraving to convey psychological unease rather than decorative detail expanded the medium’s expressive range. Though less widely known than his contemporaries, his work remains a quiet but persistent presence in discussions of postwar printmaking.
Artist & collection
Artist
André Thomkins (Lucerne, 11 August 1930 - Berlin, 8 November 1985) was a Swiss painter, illustrator, and poet.
