Untitled
- Artist: Samuel Fosso
- Date: 1978
- Medium: Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
- Dimensions: image: 149 x 149 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Untitled” by Samuel Fosso, created in 1978. The work is a gelatin‑silver photograph, a stark black‑and‑white portrait that captures the sitter— a young Nigerian man— sitting calmly on a chair in a modest studio. The back wall is simply a curtain, giving the image a quiet, almost studio‑like intimacy. The figure wears a simple boot, a plain shirt, and looks directly at the viewer, creating an engaging sense of presence. Fosso, born in 1958, often explored personal and cultural identity through self‑portraiture. This image reflects that concern, blending formal portrait conventions with an African context. It’s part of a broader African art collection acquired in 2013 with funds from the Acquisitions Fund for African Art. The piece invites viewers to consider the quiet power of a single, candid gaze.
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.
