Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor drawing by Carey Maxon. It dates from 2003 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2003 by American artist Carey Maxon (b. 1978), this drawing combines colored pencil, felt‑tip pen, watercolor, regular pencil and ballpoint pen on paper. The work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Maxon’s practice is also represented in the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Technique & Style
The surface is densely covered with overlapping marks: fine dots, loose scribbles and washes that merge the media. Watercolor is applied not as broad fields but to soften edges and blend the pencil and ink lines, producing a layered, almost notebook‑like appearance where colors bleed into one another without hard boundaries.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents an abstract field of interlaced shapes and color clusters, suggesting fragmented objects or figures suspended in space. The lack of a single focal point invites viewers to navigate the tangled visual network, interpreting the myriad forms as a record of spontaneous, unfinished ideas.
History & Provenance
After its completion in 2003, the drawing entered MoMA’s collection, where it remains on view. Maxon’s broader oeuvre is also represented in the Whitney Museum, indicating institutional recognition of his work within contemporary American drawing practices.
Context
Maxon’s practice often explores the boundaries between drawing and painting, employing everyday drawing tools to generate complex, layered surfaces. This piece reflects early‑2000s interests in mixed‑media experimentation and the visual language of densely packed, gestural mark‑making prevalent among peer artists of the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Carey Maxon (born 1978) is an American artist. Her work is included in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
