Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Angus MacLise. It dates from 1968 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
This 1968 pamphlet holds ten small lithographs with one page collage. The images mix text, shapes, and rough brush marks. Colors stay muted—mostly blacks, tans, and grays.
It comes from a weird 1968 art project called S.M.S. Artists mailed these pamphlets to subscribers. Each one was hand-assembled, making every copy different.
You can see the original at The Museum of Modern Art.
Overview
Untitled is a 1968 pamphlet consisting of ten offset lithographs, one of which incorporates collage elements. The work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art and exemplifies a hand‑assembled, limited‑edition approach in which each copy varies slightly from the others.
Subject & Meaning
The pages combine textual fragments, abstract shapes, and gestural brush marks, rendered in a restrained palette of black, tan and gray. The juxtaposition of print and collage suggests a dialogue between mechanical reproduction and manual intervention, reflecting the experimental ethos of its time.
Technique & Style
MacLise employed offset lithography for the majority of the images, adding a single collage page that introduces tactile, non‑mechanical material. The visual language is minimalist, with rough brush strokes and simple geometric forms that maintain a raw, unfinished quality.
History & Provenance
Created as part of the 1968 S.M.S. project, the pamphlets were mailed to a network of subscribers. Each edition was assembled by hand, ensuring that no two copies were identical. The Museum of Modern Art later acquired the work, where it remains in the permanent collection.
Context
The S.M.S. initiative was an experimental distribution model that blurred the boundaries between artist, publisher, and audience. In the late 1960s, such mail‑art projects challenged conventional gallery systems and explored the potential of reproducible media as a vehicle for artistic expression.
Artist & collection
