Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Ronnie Goodman. It dates from 2012 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
The title at the bottom reads *The Birth of the Occupy Movement 2011*, but the print was made in 2012.
This print is all black, white, and gray, with bold lines and shapes. At the center, a figure holds a megaphone, surrounded by symbols like flags, lions, and text. The background has swirling patterns and faces on the sides. Words like "JUSTICE," "LOVE," and "FREEDOM" are scattered around.
The title at the bottom reads *The Birth of the Occupy Movement 2011*, but the print was made in 2012. The artist packed a lot of meaning into simple shapes and strong contrasts.
Look up The Museum of Modern Art to see more prints like this.
Overview
Created in 2012, this screenprint belongs to a series of thirty-one works by Ronnie Goodman, a San Francisco‑based artist who produced art while living on the streets. The piece is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection and is rendered in a stark palette of black, white and gray, employing bold linear forms to convey its message.
Subject & Meaning
At the composition’s center a solitary figure raises a megaphone, surrounded by emblematic motifs such as flags, lions and fragmented faces. Scattered across the surface are the words “JUSTICE,” “LOVE,” and “FREEDOM,” while the caption at the bottom reads *The Birth of the Occupy Movement 2011*, linking the work to the wave of protest that followed the 2008 financial crisis.
Technique & Style
Goodman employed screen‑printing, a process that allows for sharp contrast and repetitive layering of flat color fields. The print’s limited tonal range emphasizes geometric shapes and stark outlines, creating a graphic, almost poster‑like aesthetic that heightens the immediacy of its political content.
History & Provenance
The work was produced shortly after the 2011 Occupy protests and entered the MoMA collection as part of its effort to document contemporary social activism in visual art. Goodman, who also ran marathons while experiencing homelessness, continued to create and exhibit until his death in 2020.
Context
Goodman’s practice emerged from the intersection of street life and activist culture in early‑21st‑century San Francisco. His prints, distributed through informal networks, contributed to a broader public awareness of the city’s homeless crisis and the growing momentum of grassroots movements demanding economic justice.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ronnie Goodman (1961 – August 7, 2020) was a homeless artist who lived on the streets of San Francisco, California.
