Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Daniel Spoerri. It dates from 1965 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Untitled is a screenprint on fabric produced by Daniel Spoerri around 1965. It belongs to a series of works that transform the remnants of meals into artistic objects. The piece is part of the collection at The Museum of Modern Art, where it is recognized for its conceptual approach to everyday materials and its connection to key figures in postwar art.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures the arrangement of a meal—plates, utensils, food debris—printed onto fabric, freezing a transient moment in time.
The work captures the arrangement of a meal—plates, utensils, food debris—printed onto fabric, freezing a transient moment in time. Spoerri’s practice challenges traditional notions of art by elevating the mundane. The inclusion of Marcel Duchamp as a participant, having consumed the meal before its imprint, introduces themes of ephemerality and authorship, blurring the line between action and artifact.
Technique & Style
Spoerri employed screenprinting on fabric to reproduce the exact layout of a dining setting. The method allowed for direct transfer of the meal’s physical trace, preserving its spatial composition without idealization. The resulting image is flat, unembellished, and deliberately unartistic in appearance, aligning with the anti-aesthetic principles of the Nouveau Réalisme movement.
History & Provenance
The print originated from a performance in which Spoerri had Duchamp eat a meal, then preserved the table’s arrangement as a print. Duchamp’s involvement lent the work immediate historical weight. It entered MoMA’s collection in the late 1960s, where it remains as a documented artifact of conceptual and performative practices emerging in Europe during the 1960s.
Context
Created during the height of Nouveau Réalisme, the work reflects a broader European interest in incorporating real-world objects into art. Spoerri’s 'snare' technique—freezing found arrangements—echoed contemporaneous experiments by artists like Yves Klein and Arman. The piece also responds to Duchamp’s legacy of redefining art through everyday acts, reinforcing a shift from object to event.
Legacy
Untitled stands as an early example of conceptual art that prioritizes process over permanence. Its preservation in a major institution underscores the growing acceptance of performative and ephemeral works within museum frameworks. Spoerri’s approach influenced later artists exploring the intersection of life, consumption, and documentation in art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Daniel Spoerri was a Romanian-born Swiss visual artist and writer. He is considered to be an important figure among the artists within the so-called "second wave" of the Pop art movement.
