Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a graphite drawing by Gert Tobias Uwe Tobias. It dates from 2007 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Created in 2007, this work is a mixed-media drawing by Gert Tobias and Uwe Tobias.
About this work
Overview
The composition is assembled through layering and collage, resulting in a textured surface that blurs the boundaries between drawing, printing, and assemblage.
Created in 2007, this work is a mixed-media drawing by Gert Tobias and Uwe Tobias. It combines cut-and-pasted printed paper, synthetic polymer paint, pencil, and typewritten text on a paper support. The composition is assembled through layering and collage, resulting in a textured surface that blurs the boundaries between drawing, printing, and assemblage. It is part of the collection at The Museum of Modern Art.
Subject & Meaning
A stylized human figure, rendered in white paper with a black hat, stands with arms raised against a chaotic background. The figure appears rigid, as if mechanically placed, contrasting with the energetic smears and scribbles surrounding it. Printed text on the hat introduces fragments of language that resist clear interpretation, suggesting themes of communication breakdown or the fragmentation of identity in mediated environments.
Technique & Style
The artists employed collage as a primary method, layering found printed materials with hand-applied paint and pencil. The background is densely worked with smudged greens, blues, purples, and pinks, creating a sense of visual noise. Typewritten text is integrated directly into the surface, not as decoration but as embedded residue. The effect is one of accumulation, where each layer contributes to a sense of layered meaning without clear resolution.
History & Provenance
The work was produced in 2007 by the collaborative duo Gert Tobias and Uwe Tobias, known for their text-driven, materially dense compositions. It entered the collection of The Museum of Modern Art shortly after its creation, reflecting institutional interest in post-conceptual drawing practices that incorporate found media and typographic elements. No earlier exhibition history is documented.
Context
This piece aligns with late 20th- and early 21st-century practices that treat the page as a site of textual and visual disruption. It echoes the influence of Dadaist collage and Fluxus interventions, while responding to contemporary conditions of information overload. The use of typewritten text and commercial print reflects an engagement with the detritus of daily media, recontextualized through manual intervention.
Legacy
The work contributes to an ongoing dialogue in contemporary drawing about the materiality of language and the role of the hand in digital-age reproduction. Its inclusion in MoMA’s collection signals its relevance to discussions on collage as a critical strategy. While not widely reproduced, it remains a representative example of collaborative, text-based practices in contemporary art.
Artist & collection
