Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Tom Wesselmann. It dates from 1967 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1967, this untitled screenprint is one of a series of eight works produced by American artist Tom Wesselmann. The piece belongs to the Museum of Modern Art’s collection and exemplifies the artist’s ongoing dialogue with the visual vocabulary of advertising and mass‑media culture that defined much of mid‑century pop art.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a stylized nude figure rendered in a flat pink form, positioned against a stark blue horizon line and two simplified white clouds. Beneath the figure a dark blue rectangle suggests a body of water or land. The reduction of the human body to basic geometric shapes underscores a focus on surface and commercial visual shorthand rather than narrative detail.
Technique & Style
Executed as a screenprint, the work relies on solid blocks of unmodulated color, eliminating shadows, gradients, or textural nuance. The composition employs clean, uncurved outlines and bold, saturated hues, reflecting Wesselmann’s preference for graphic clarity and the mechanical aesthetic associated with printed advertising media.
History & Provenance
The print was produced as part of an eight‑piece portfolio released by Wesselmann in 1967. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings through acquisition shortly after its creation, where it has remained a representative example of the artist’s printmaking output and of the broader pop‑art movement’s engagement with mass‑produced imagery.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas K. Wesselmann (February 23, 1931 – December 17, 2004) was an American artist associated with the pop art movement who worked in painting, collage and sculpture.
