Untitled
- Artist: Martin Kippenberger
- Date: 1989
- Medium: Wood, metal, screenprint on textile, glass, book, lightbulb, colour tinted black and white photograph, paint and other materials
- Dimensions: object: 2055 × 1687 × 390 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the "Untitled" by Martin Kippenberger, made in 1989. It blends elements from his “Peter” series—found‑materials, furniture with deliberate flaws—and his later “drunken lamps,” which feature wobbly, tilted poles. A wooden bookcase is tipped by a gold‑painted lamppost with a red lightbulb, its shaft leaning diagonally through the shelves. Behind the bookcase is a photo of Kippenberger picking his nose, giving the piece a candid, personal touch. The work forces you to laugh at the collision of a bookcase, a lamp and a roll‑blind of bottled‑water imagery, while commenting on craftsmanship and the messy, collaborative nature of his studio practice.
See it in person
Untitled 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.
