Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Christian Jankowski. It dates from 2015 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2015, this offset lithograph is one of eight works in a boxed set by Christian Jankowski, produced across multiple media. The print belongs to The Museum of Modern Art’s collection and reflects Jankowski’s interest in blending found imagery with textual elements. Its production through commercial printing techniques underscores his engagement with mass culture and reproduction.
Subject & Meaning
Two photographic fragments depict leisure scenes: a kiss beneath palm trees beside turquoise water, and a figure smiling on a boat with a coconut.
Two photographic fragments depict leisure scenes: a kiss beneath palm trees beside turquoise water, and a figure smiling on a boat with a coconut. The text references Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso, suggesting a connection between cultural nostalgia and personal desire. The juxtaposition evokes idealized vacation imagery while subtly questioning the authenticity of such representations in contemporary life.
Technique & Style
The image was produced using offset lithography, a commercial printing method that allows for precise reproduction of photographic material. The photos are collaged onto a black ground, emphasizing their artificial placement. Text is integrated as a printed element, not handwritten, reinforcing the work’s relationship to media and mass production rather than traditional artistic handcraft.
History & Provenance
This print was made as part of a limited, multi-medium edition in 2015 and entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after. Its inclusion in a curated set indicates institutional recognition of Jankowski’s conceptual approach to multiples. No earlier exhibition or ownership history is publicly documented beyond its acquisition by MoMA.
Context
Jankowski’s work emerges from a tradition of artists who interrogate authorship and media saturation. By incorporating popular imagery and referencing Brazilian pop culture, he situates the piece within late 20th- and early 21st-century discussions about globalization, tourism, and the commodification of experience. The work resists singular interpretation, inviting viewers to consider how meaning is constructed through citation and repetition.
Legacy
As part of a broader body of work exploring the boundaries between art and everyday imagery, this lithograph contributes to ongoing dialogues about reproduction and cultural memory. It reflects a generation of artists who treat the archive as material, using institutional frameworks to question the authority of both image and artist. Its presence in MoMA signals its role in contemporary print discourse.
Artist & collection
Artist
Christian Jankowski (born 1968 in Göttingen, West Germany) is a German contemporary multimedia artist who largely works with video, installation and photography. He lives and works in Berlin and New York.
