Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Constant. It dates from 1968 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1968, this lithograph belongs to a series of eleven prints by the French artist known as Constant. The work consists of a solid red field occupying the entire surface, punctuated only by the black, cursive inscription “labyrinthmen” centered within the square. The piece is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a single textual element without any representational imagery. The word “labyrinthmen” functions as both title and focal point, inviting viewers to contemplate its linguistic resonance and possible associations with complexity, navigation, or identity, while the stark visual field emphasizes the primacy of language over pictorial content.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the image was produced by drawing directly onto a limestone or metal plate with a greasy medium, then treating the surface so that ink adheres only to the drawn areas. The result is a flat, uniform red plane and a crisp, hand‑rendered black script, reflecting Constant’s interest in minimal color fields and typographic gestures.
History & Provenance
The print was first exhibited as part of Constant’s 1968 portfolio of eleven lithographs, a body of work that explored the relationship between text and visual space. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its creation, where it remains in the Prints and Illustrated Books department.
Context
Emerging in the late 1960s, the work aligns with the broader movement of conceptual art that privileged ideas and language over traditional representation. Constant’s practice often involved serial productions and the reduction of visual elements to basic forms, situating this lithograph within a network of contemporaneous experiments in minimalism and text‑based art.
Artist & collection
