Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Ibram Lassaw. It dates from 1937 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1937, this untitled lithograph belongs to a set of thirty-one prints by Ibram Lassaw. The work is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. It bears the artist’s signature in the lower corner and exemplifies his early engagement with non‑objective visual language before he became chiefly associated with abstract metal sculpture.
Subject & Meaning
The image consists of vigorous, uneven black lines set against a pale ground. The composition suggests a reclining figure and an adjacent piece of furniture, though the forms remain ambiguous and deliberately unstable. The chaotic line work conveys a sense of movement and spontaneity, inviting viewers to interpret the shapes without a fixed narrative.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the piece was produced by drawing directly onto a stone or metal plate with greasy media, then transferring the image onto paper through a chemical process. The resulting marks are bold and irregular, reflecting a rapid, gestural approach typical of mid‑century non‑objective printmaking, where the emphasis lies on line and texture rather than representational detail.
History & Provenance
Ibram Lassaw, born in Egypt to Russian parents and later based in the United States, created this work during a period when he explored abstract visual forms. The lithograph entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings as part of its effort to document American avant‑garde printmaking of the 1930s, and it remains in the museum’s permanent collection.
Context
Lassaw’s print aligns with this trend, sharing aesthetic concerns with contemporaries who emphasized pure abstraction and the material qualities of line.
In the late 1930s, American artists were increasingly drawn to non‑objective art, seeking to break from figurative traditions. Lassaw’s print aligns with this trend, sharing aesthetic concerns with contemporaries who emphasized pure abstraction and the material qualities of line. Although he later achieved recognition for metal sculptures, this lithograph illustrates his early experimentation with abstract visual vocabulary.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ibram Lassaw (May 4, 1913 – December 30, 2003) was an Egyptian-born American sculptor of Russian heritage, known for non-objective construction in brazed metals.
