Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Fiona Banner in 2011.

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Museum of Modern Art.

Untitled by Fiona Banner (2011) — Meaning & Museum

About this work

Overview

Fiona Banner’s *Untitled* (2011) is a 12-page stapled booklet produced through digital printing. Part of the artist’s broader exploration of text, image, and symbolism, the work reflects her engagement with militaristic iconography and its cultural permutations. The booklet resides in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art.

Subject & Meaning

Two shields, crowned and flanked by wings, feature hybrid creatures—one resembling a deer, the other a bird—encased in ornate, foliate embellishments.

The booklet’s central image reimagines heraldic crests, traditionally markers of prestige and lineage, through an absurdist lens. Two shields, crowned and flanked by wings, feature hybrid creatures—one resembling a deer, the other a bird—encased in ornate, foliate embellishments. The inscription *Snoopy Vs The Red Baron* subverts the formality of the motif, juxtaposing medieval symbolism with a pop-cultural reference to a comic-strip dog and a World War I pilot.

Technique & Style

Executed in black and white, the work employs digital printing to render intricate linework and decorative flourishes. The precision of the medium allows for sharp contrasts between dense patterning and negative space, while the booklet format invites sequential engagement. Banner’s approach merges meticulous draftsmanship with conceptual play, underscoring tensions between tradition and modernity.

Context

Banner’s practice frequently interrogates representations of conflict, particularly through aviation imagery. Here, she extends that inquiry into the realm of heraldry, a system historically tied to power and identity. By grafting a cartoonish rivalry onto a venerable visual language, the work critiques the ways symbols accrue meaning—and how readily they can be destabilized.

History & Provenance

Created in 2011, *Untitled* entered the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, where it contributes to the institution’s holdings of contemporary conceptual art. The booklet’s modest scale and format contrast with the grandeur often associated with heraldic imagery, reinforcing Banner’s interest in recontextualizing authoritative forms.

Artist & collection

Artist

Fiona Banner

Fiona Banner (born 1966), also known as The Vanity Press, is a British artist. Her work encompasses sculpture, drawing, installation and text, and demonstrates a long-standing fascination with the emblem of fighter…