Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Jacques Villeglé. It dates from 1973 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1973, this work by French artist Jacques Villeglé is a photolithograph that combines printed and hand‑made elements. It consists of two sheets of paper—one yellow, one white—joined with scotch tape and adhered to a red‑toned printed surface. The piece is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition is dominated by handwritten French phrases interspersed with graphic symbols such as stars and crosses. The juxtaposition of text and abstract marks invites a personal, almost secretive dialogue, while the stark red background heightens the visual tension between the informal hand‑drawn marks and the printed base.
Technique & Style
Villeglé employed a photolithographic process to produce the underlying image, then manually added inked text and symbols onto the two separate sheets. The use of scotch tape as a binding material emphasizes the work’s collage‑like quality, blurring the line between printmaking and direct drawing.
History & Provenance
After its completion in 1973, the work entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it remains on view. Its acquisition reflects MoMA’s interest in mid‑20th‑century French avant‑garde practices that merge mass‑media techniques with personal intervention.
Context
Villeglé is associated with the décollage movement, which reappropriates fragments of urban signage and advertising. This piece extends that approach by integrating hand‑written language, echoing the artist’s broader exploration of public visual culture and the traces left by everyday communication.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacques Villeglé, born Jacques Mahé de la Villeglé was a French mixed-media artist and affichiste famous for his alphabet with symbolic letters and decollage with ripped or lacerated posters.
