Untitled (Invention of a Joke)
- Artist: Martin Kippenberger
- Date: 1991
- Medium: 9 works on paper, ink, graphite and coloured pencil on printed papers
- Dimensions: Overall display dimensions variable
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Untitled (Invention of a Joke)” by Martin Kippenberger, created in 1991. The work is actually a set of nine drawings, laid out in a 3‑by‑3 grid, each sketched in ink, graphite and coloured pencil on hotel stationery. The scene feels like a chaotic Mexican street drama: a lit match suddenly blows a seated man’s head off, while a calendar on a wall advertises “Alfredo Garcia cigarillos”, a sly nod to Sam Peckinpah’s 1974 film *Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia*.
Kippenberger spent 1989‑90 in Los Angeles, and that time in the city helped inspire the Mexican backdrop. He habitually drew on the paper he collected from hotels, turning his travels into a visual diary. The drawings are deliberately disjointed; the joke never lands, and the viewer is left piecing together the fragments. It’s a witty, almost mischievous snapshot of a life that blurs the line between art and everyday humor.
See it in person
Untitled (Invention of a Joke) is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, 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.
