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Untitled
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© Ellen Gallagher

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Untitled 1998
  • Artist Rooms
The American artist Ellen Gallagher created 'Untitled' as one of a series of large black paintings begun in 1998. Seven large geometric forms appear to float on the hard surface. But closer inspection reveals these shapes to be carefully constructed from identical silver lips lined up in rows, their exaggerated style recalling the vaudeville traditions of American blackface minstrelsy. The broad black surface could thereby be seen as a stand-in for the minstrel stage. In this and similar works Gallagher presents a stark contrast between image and meaning; the sleek surface and structured forms reference the purity of American abstract minimalism, while this simplicity is undercut by taboo subject matter relating to her African-American origins.

Glossary Open

Abstract art

Art in which there is no attempt to represent anything existing in the world, particularly used of the 20th century onwards. ‘Abstraction’ refers to the process of making images that may in part derive from the visible world but which are reduced to basic formal elements.

Minimalism

An art movement of the 1960s onwards, primarily in sculpture. It was in part a reaction against the flamboyance of Pop Art and Abstract Expressionism. It is characterised by a lack of expressiveness and the use of simple forms, often in repetition.

Abstract art, Minimalism

Details

  • Acc. No. AR00067
  • Medium Oil paint and enamel on paper on canvas
  • Size 305.30 x 244.40 x 3.80 cm
  • Credit ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008

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