[no title]

[no title] by Christian Dotremont

Christian Dotremont, 1975–6

  • Artist: Christian Dotremont
  • Date: 1975–6
  • Medium: Lithograph on paper
  • Dimensions: image: 492 x 733 mm
  • Museum: Tate Modern
  • Collection record: Tate Modern website

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About this artwork

This is “No Title” by Christian Dotremont. It’s a lithograph on paper created in 1975–6 that dives into the dance between written language and visual art. Dotremont, who worked with Pierre Alechinsky in the 1950s, turned words into what he called logograms—gestural drawings that seek a unity of verbal and graphic inspiration. Here, the bottom right corner holds a short poem, while the rest of the page is filled with bold, free‑hand strokes that echo Sumerian, Japanese, Arabic, and Indian scripts. He deliberately made the writing unreadable, letting the shapes speak for themselves. This piece sits in the “The Shape of Words” display, a collection that highlights how language can become visual poetry. It’s a fascinating example of how Dotremont blurred the line between text and image, inviting viewers to read the feeling rather than the words.

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[no title] 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.

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