Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Sherrie Levine. It dates from 1987 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Untitled is one of five photolithographs from a 1987 series by Sherrie Levine. Produced using a photographic lithographic process, the work reproduces a found black-and-white image rather than originating from direct observation. It resides in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, part of Levine’s broader engagement with appropriation and the reproduction of existing visual material.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts two figures—a woman in a hat and a bearded man—seated at a modest café table. Their postures suggest quiet intimacy, framed by a candle, glass, and plate. Levine does not invent the scene but recontextualizes it, prompting reflection on authorship, nostalgia, and the cultural weight carried by vernacular photographs from the early 20th century.
Technique & Style
The process emphasizes mechanical reproduction over handcraft, aligning with her conceptual interest in the loss of originality in mass-mediated imagery.
Levine employed photolithography to translate a preexisting photograph into a printed image, preserving its grain and tonal contrasts. The process emphasizes mechanical reproduction over handcraft, aligning with her conceptual interest in the loss of originality in mass-mediated imagery. The result is a muted, archival aesthetic that mimics the look of vintage snapshots without replicating their physical history.
History & Provenance
Created in 1987, the work belongs to a small portfolio of five photolithographs made by Levine during a period of sustained inquiry into photographic reproduction. It entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its production, recognized for its role in challenging traditional notions of originality in fine art. No prior ownership beyond the artist’s studio is documented.
Context
Levine’s work emerged within the 1980s discourse on postmodernism, where artists questioned the authority of the artist as creator. By rephotographing and reprinting images from established photographic archives, she interrogated gender, ownership, and the museum’s role in validating cultural artifacts. This piece reflects broader debates about the reproduction of images in an age of mechanical duplication.
Legacy
Untitled contributes to Levine’s enduring influence on conceptual and feminist art practices. Her use of appropriation prompted critical reassessments of originality and authorship, influencing subsequent generations of artists working with found imagery. The work remains a touchstone in discussions about the ethics and aesthetics of reproduction in contemporary visual culture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Sherrie Levine is an American photographer, painter, and conceptual artist. Some of her work consists of exact photographic reproductions of the work of other photographers such as Walker Evans, Eliot Porter and Edward Weston.
