Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Sue Williams. It dates from 1993 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
It is part of The Museum of Modern Art’s collection and reflects the artist’s interest in combining traditional printmaking with photographic elements.
Created in 1993, this print by Sue Williams combines etching, aquatint, and photoetching to produce a layered image on paper. It is part of The Museum of Modern Art’s collection and reflects the artist’s interest in combining traditional printmaking with photographic elements. The work’s composition centers on a solitary female figure, rendered with deliberate simplicity and subtle tonal variation.
Subject & Meaning
The figure stands barefoot, arms on hips, beneath a wide-brimmed hat, suggesting a posture of quiet assertion. Behind her, a small photograph of a man is affixed to the wall, introducing an ambiguous personal reference. A hanging lamp casts no visible light, adding to the scene’s stillness. The image resists clear narrative, instead evoking introspection and the weight of unseen relationships.
Technique & Style
Williams employs clean, loose linework characteristic of sketch-like immediacy, enhanced by aquatint for soft gradations of tone. Photoetching integrates a photographic fragment directly into the plate, merging mechanical reproduction with hand-drawn form. The shading around the figure and hat creates volume without heavy detail, preserving an open, unfinished quality that invites contemplation.
History & Provenance
The work entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its creation, reflecting institutional interest in contemporary printmaking that engages with personal and psychological themes. No earlier ownership records are publicly documented, and the piece has remained in the museum’s care since acquisition, with no known exhibitions prior to its inclusion in the permanent collection.
Context
Made during a period when many artists were re-examining feminist narratives through non-traditional media, Williams’ print aligns with broader efforts to challenge passive female representation. The integration of photography into printmaking was gaining traction in the 1990s, and her use of it here subtly questions authorship, memory, and the domestic sphere.
Legacy
This work contributes to Williams’ ongoing exploration of identity and psychological space through print. While not widely reproduced, it remains a key example of how contemporary artists reconfigure traditional techniques to address intimate, unresolved themes. Its presence in MoMA’s collection affirms its role in expanding the boundaries of print as a medium for personal expression.
Artist & collection
