Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an acrylic painting by the Contemporary Abstract artist Matt Connors. It dates from 2015 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
*Untitled* (2015) is an acrylic-on-canvas work with a custom-painted wood frame, held in The Museum of Modern Art’s collection.
Matt Connors, born in 1973 in Chicago, creates abstract paintings that explore the boundaries of form and surface. *Untitled* (2015) is an acrylic-on-canvas work with a custom-painted wood frame, held in The Museum of Modern Art’s collection. The piece exemplifies Connors’ interest in structured composition and the material presence of painting, avoiding illusion in favor of direct, physical arrangement.
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents no representational imagery, instead relying on geometric shapes and unmodulated color to generate visual tension. Vertical and horizontal planes interact with deliberate asymmetry, suggesting architectural or spatial references without naming them. The irregular red form on the right introduces a subtle disruption, challenging the order of the stripes and inviting attention to the act of making rather than symbolic content.
Technique & Style
Connors applies acrylic paint with a controlled hand, favoring flat, unblended fields of color. The edges are crisp but not mechanically precise; slight imperfections—like a speck of white on the red stripe or a crookedly aligned shape—reveal the artist’s hand. The frame, painted dark purple to extend the composition, functions as an integrated element, not merely a border, reinforcing the work’s self-referential nature.
History & Provenance
Created in 2015, *Untitled* entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its completion. It reflects Connors’ ongoing exploration of abstraction during a period when many artists were re-examining formalist traditions. The work was likely produced in one of his studios in New York or Los Angeles, where he has lived and worked since the early 2000s.
Context
The painting emerges from a broader contemporary dialogue around abstraction’s revival in the 2010s, where artists revisited modernist concerns with color, geometry, and materiality while embracing imperfection and process. Connors’ work stands apart by integrating the frame as part of the image, echoing earlier experiments by artists like Frank Stella and Robert Ryman, yet with a more casual, contemporary sensibility.
Legacy
*Untitled* contributes to Connors’ reputation for redefining abstract painting through subtle deviations from precision. Its inclusion in MoMA’s collection signals its relevance to ongoing discussions about the material and conceptual limits of painting. The work’s quiet irregularities have influenced younger artists interested in the tension between control and spontaneity in abstract form.
Artist & collection
Artist
Matt Connors (born 1973, Chicago) is an artist working predominantly in abstract painting.
