Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Jan Dibbets. It dates from 1971 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1971, this untitled lithograph by Dutch conceptual artist Jan Dibbets consists of a nine‑panel grid rendered in black and white. Each panel depicts an identical fence composed of intersecting lines, while the surrounding shadows vary subtly from one section to the next, inviting close inspection of the interplay between static form and shifting light.
Subject & Meaning
The work foregrounds a simple, repeated architectural element—a fence—against a backdrop of mutable shadows. By keeping the fence constant and allowing the tonal environment to change, Dibbets foregrounds questions of perception, spatial continuity, and the way visual information can be reorganized through minimal variation.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the image was produced by drawing directly onto a stone or metal plate with greasy media, then transferring the design onto paper through a chemical process that distinguishes light from dark areas. The crisp linear quality of the fence and the nuanced gradations of shadow reflect Dibbets’s interest in precise, mathematically informed visual systems.
History & Provenance
The piece entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art shortly after its creation, where it remains part of the institution’s holdings of post‑1960s conceptual prints. Its acquisition underscores MoMA’s commitment to documenting the era’s experimental approaches to photography, printmaking, and the investigation of visual perception.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Dibbets (born 9 May 1941, in Weert) is an Amsterdam-based Dutch conceptual artist. His work is influenced by mathematics and works mainly with photography.
