Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a chalk drawing by Titus Kaphar. It dates from 2014 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
The medium’s contrast and tactile surface contribute to the work’s quiet intensity, distinguishing it from conventional portrait techniques.
Created in 2014, this drawing by Titus Kaphar is executed in white chalk on black asphalt paper. It belongs to the collection of The Museum of Modern Art and exemplifies Kaphar’s practice of reimagining historical visual traditions through contemporary Black subjectivity. The medium’s contrast and tactile surface contribute to the work’s quiet intensity, distinguishing it from conventional portrait techniques.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait depicts a Black man with short, curly hair, his gaze lowered and lips slightly parted. His expression is inward, evoking contemplation rather than performance. Kaphar avoids overt narrative, instead inviting viewers to engage with the subject’s presence as an act of reclamation—centering an individual often absent from canonical portraiture without imposing external interpretation.
Technique & Style
Kaphar employs chalk’s granular quality against the rough, dark asphalt paper to generate texture and depth. Bold, deliberate strokes define facial contours, while subtle shading suggests volume without realism. The medium’s inherent fragility and the paper’s industrial surface create a tension between permanence and impermanence, reinforcing themes of visibility and erasure.
History & Provenance
The work entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its creation, reflecting institutional recognition of Kaphar’s critical engagement with art history. Its acquisition signals a broader shift toward including contemporary Black artists whose practices interrogate representation. No prior ownership or exhibition history beyond MoMA is documented in public records.
Context
Emerging in the mid-2010s, Kaphar’s work responds to longstanding exclusions in Western art traditions. By using materials that evoke both archival fragility and urban decay, he situates Black identity within spaces historically denied to it. This piece aligns with a generation of artists redefining portraiture as a site of historical correction and personal resonance.
Legacy
Untitled contributes to an evolving discourse on who gets depicted and how. Kaphar’s choice of humble materials and restrained composition challenges monumental traditions, offering an alternative model for dignity in representation. The work continues to inform contemporary conversations about visibility, memory, and the material politics of art-making.
Artist & collection
Artist
Titus Kaphar is an American contemporary painter and filmmaker whose work reconfigures and regenerates art history to include African-American subjects.
