Untitled

The image depicts a figure in a hat and coat holding a violin, positioned before a television screen displaying a close-up of a mustached face. The juxtaposition of live musical performance and mediated imagery suggests a commentary on the blending of human presence with electronic reproduction. The credits frame the work as both an artistic statement and a broadcast artifact, blurring lines between performer, technician, and audience.

Rendered in black-and-white offset lithography, the print mimics the aesthetic of television stills and promotional posters of the era. Sharp contrasts and flat tonal areas emulate the limitations of early broadcast video, while the layout mirrors commercial TV graphics. The technique’s mechanical reproduction aligns with the work’s theme of media saturation and mass dissemination.

Commissioned for the 1974 broadcast of Global Groove, the print was produced in limited numbers as a promotional tool. It was acquired by The Museum of Modern Art shortly after its creation, reflecting the institution’s interest in media-based art forms. Its preservation underscores its role as a document of early video art’s engagement with public television.

Global Groove was an experimental television program that fused global music, performance, and video manipulation. This poster emerged during a period when artists like Paik were redefining television as an artistic medium. The collaboration between visual artists and broadcasters signaled a broader shift toward interdisciplinary practices in the 1970s art world.

The print remains a tangible artifact of early video art’s outreach beyond gallery spaces. It illustrates how artists used mass-produced media to reach wider audiences and challenge traditional notions of art objects. Its inclusion in MoMA’s collection helped legitimize television-related works within institutional art history.