Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink drawing by Rosemarie Trockel. It dates from 1990 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1990, this work by Rosemarie Trockel is a printed paper drawing with ink and stitched binding.
Created in 1990, this work by Rosemarie Trockel is a printed paper drawing with ink and stitched binding. It reconfigures a found photographic image, altering its original context through physical intervention. The piece is part of The Museum of Modern Art’s collection and exemplifies Trockel’s practice of repurposing mass-media visuals to question cultural norms, particularly around gender and labor.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a woman holding a folded white shirt, her attire plain and unadorned, against a neutral background. A small photograph of a man appears in the upper right, while the phrase 'MALE-TESTED FASHIONS' at the top ironically frames the scene. The shirt, the only white element, stands out as both object and symbol—suggesting domestic labor, gendered expectations, and the performative nature of fashion advertising.
Technique & Style
Trockel employs a monochrome photographic source, overlaid with handwritten ink and physically stitched along its edges. The stitching disrupts the image’s surface, introducing a tactile, handmade quality that contrasts with the mechanical reproduction of the original ad. This combination of industrial imagery and craft-based intervention challenges distinctions between art, design, and domestic work.
History & Provenance
The work was produced in 1990 and entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly thereafter. It stems from Trockel’s broader series of works that repurpose commercial imagery, particularly from fashion and advertising media. The inclusion of 'ULI KNECHT'—likely a reference to a designer or photographer—adds a layer of authorship ambiguity, further complicating the original source’s intent.
Context
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Trockel was part of a generation of artists interrogating gender roles through appropriation and material subversion. Drawing from feminist theory and postmodern critique, she used found images to expose how media constructs identity. This piece reflects broader artistic strategies of the time that questioned the neutrality of advertising and the invisibility of women’s labor.
Legacy
Trockel’s use of stitched paper and altered photographs influenced later artists exploring the intersection of craft, gender, and media. This work remains a reference point in discussions about how visual culture reinforces social hierarchies. Its quiet disruption—through stitch, text, and composition—continues to invite reflection on the unseen labor behind everyday objects and images.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rosemarie Trockel is a German conceptual artist. She has made drawings, paintings, sculptures, videos and installations, and has worked in mixed media. From 1985, she made pictures using knitting-machines. She is a…
