Ho Chi Minh
- Artist: Joe Tilson
- Date: 1970
- Medium: Screenprint on paper, wood and string
- Dimensions: support: 1032 x 702 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is “Ho Chi Ming” by Joe Tilson. It’s a screenprint made in 1970 that mixes paper, wood, and string to create a layered effect. The print measures just over a meter long and a little under 70 cm tall, giving it an intimate, almost handheld feel.
Tilson layers images of birds, fish and other marine life together with a central figure—a man who looks older, rendered in a style that blends photo‑like detail with abstract shapes. Around him you see string—literally woven into the composition—that adds a tactile dimension and hints at the physicality of the printing process itself.
The work combines recognizable elements (the head/face, the body, the use of color) with more formal qualities such as irregular forms and a sense of movement. The title references Ho Chi Ming, but the painting isn’t a strict portrait; it’s more an arrangement of recognisable sources that evoke the man’s presence in a broader visual context.
The piece was presented by Rose and Chris Prater through the Institute of Contemporary Prints in 1975. It now lives in Tate Britain within the Modern and Contemporary British Art display, where you’ll see how Tilson blended color and texture to give the print its distinctive depth.
See it in person
Ho Chi Minh is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
