Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a graphite drawing by Dan Perjovschi. It dates from 1996 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Created in 1996, this work consists of sixty individual sheets of paper assembled into a single composition.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1996, this work consists of sixty individual sheets of paper assembled into a single composition. The Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi employed pencil and ink to produce a series of rapid, multilayered drawings that are now part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. The piece exemplifies his habit of generating socially engaged imagery in situ, often before an audience.
Subject & Meaning
The imagery is a collage of sketchy figures—some appearing to dance or crawl, others reduced to abstract lines—interspersed with handwritten statements such as “we won” and “the end of communism in my country.” These textual and visual elements combine to comment on political transition and collective memory, using a direct, sometimes satirical tone to address recent historical events.
Technique & Style
Perjovschi’s process involved gluing thin strips of paper together, each bearing a quick, gestural drawing. The overlapping layers generate a dense, almost chaotic surface where pencil hatching and ink strokes intersect. The work’s rough, uneven lettering and spontaneous line work emphasize immediacy, rejecting polished finish in favor of a raw, documentary aesthetic.
History & Provenance
Since its creation, the sixty-sheet drawing has remained within the artist’s oeuvre before being acquired by the Museum of Modern Art. Its inclusion in the museum’s collection reflects MoMA’s interest in contemporary practices that merge art with real‑time political commentary, preserving a moment of Perjovschi’s public drawing interventions.
Artist & collection
Artist
Dan Perjovschi is an artist, writer and cartoonist born on 29 October 1961 in Sibiu, Romania.
