Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Lothar Baumgarten. It dates from 1983 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1983, this lithographic print by Lothar Baumgarten consists of a dense array of minute black footprints stamped across a white surface. The repetitive marks form a regular grid that suggests the impression of a solitary figure moving through wet terrain, yet the work remains abstracted from any specific landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The image draws on Baumgarten’s recent experience living among the Yanomami of the Amazon, while the title alludes to a memoir by a Lakota chief. By juxtaposing two distinct Indigenous contexts, the work invites contemplation of cross‑cultural encounters and the ways personal narratives become mediated through external representation.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph with offset printing, the piece employs a simple stamping process to produce the uniform footprints. The stark contrast between black pigment and the white paper emphasizes the mechanical repetition, while the hand‑made quality of each impression retains a trace of the artist’s physical intervention.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the print entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it remains on view. Its acquisition reflects the institution’s interest in works that interrogate the relationship between contemporary art practice and anthropological observation.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lothar Baumgarten was a German conceptual artist, based in New York and Berlin. His work includes installation and also film.
