Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Dave Muller. It dates from 2012 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
This 2012 print by Dave Muller combines etching and aquatint with chine collé, a technique that bonds delicate paper to a heavier support. Part of The Museum of Modern Art’s collection, the work presents a structured yet improvisational grid of diminutive facial studies. Each figure emerges through rapid, gestural lines, suggesting immediacy rather than precision.
Subject & Meaning
The composition consists of numerous small, schematic portraits arranged in a systematic grid. Though rendered with apparent spontaneity, the faces exhibit subtle variations in expression and form, resisting uniformity. The repetition of individual yet anonymous likenesses invites consideration of collective identity, anonymity, and the tension between uniqueness and standardization.
Technique & Style
Muller employs etching to define crisp, linear contours, while aquatint introduces modulated tonal fields that soften the edges of each portrait. The chine collé process enhances texture, allowing ink to bleed slightly at the margins. This combination yields a balance between controlled structure and organic irregularity, reflecting the artist’s preference for loose, sketch-like execution.
History & Provenance
Produced in 2012, the print entered the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, where it remains cataloged. Little documentation exists regarding its initial exhibition or acquisition circumstances. Like much of Muller’s graphic work, this piece exemplifies his ongoing exploration of serial imagery and printmaking’s capacity for both repetition and variation.
Context
Muller’s practice frequently engages with systems of display and classification, often through grids or lists. This print aligns with his broader interest in how simple marks accumulate to suggest narrative or social dynamics. The use of printmaking—traditionally a medium of reproduction—reinforces themes of multiplicity and the tension between individual and collective representation.
Artist & collection
