Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Julian Lethbridge. It dates from 1991 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
The work consists of an abstract arrangement of overlapping blobs and geometric shapes rendered in a limited palette of black, white and varying shades of gray.
Julian Lethbridge’s 1991 lithograph, untitled, is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art. The work consists of an abstract arrangement of overlapping blobs and geometric shapes rendered in a limited palette of black, white and varying shades of gray. The composition suggests a dense, almost tactile accumulation of forms that shift between solid opacity and delicate translucency.
Subject & Meaning
The image offers no explicit narrative; instead it invites viewers to contemplate the interaction of mass and void. The juxtaposition of dense, dark areas with faint, almost invisible patches creates a visual tension that can be read as a study of presence versus absence, or as an exploration of how simple shapes generate complex spatial relationships.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the print displays the characteristic hand‑drawn edge of the artist’s marks, giving the forms a rough, spontaneous quality. The limited monochrome palette emphasizes tonal variation, while the overlapping blobs suggest a rapid, gestural application of ink, typical of Lethbridge’s interest in immediacy and materiality within print media.
History & Provenance
Created in 1991, the lithograph entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its production, reflecting the institution’s commitment to acquiring contemporary print work. Its presence in MoMA situates the piece within a broader narrative of late‑20th‑century experimental printmaking.
Artist & collection
Artist
Julian Lethbridge is a British Ceylon-born, US-based, British abstract painter and drawer. His work is in permanent collections of museums in North America and Europe.
