Untitled (Wat Op de Tafel Staat…)
Lawrence Weiner
American, 1942–2021
1988
A preparatory drawing in watercolor, gouache, pen, and collage in which Lawrence Weiner works through a bilingual, self‑referential text-piece that treats language as the thing being placed and exhibited.
Two hand‑painted golden 'frames' sit side by side—one a spare schematic interior, the other filled with stenciled blue Dutch text—all surrounded by penciled notes, arrows, tape, and a printed color swatch that make the artist’s decisions and edits visible on the page.
A clear example of Weiner’s conceptual practice that helped dematerialize the art object by asserting that words and instructions themselves can be the artwork, advancing language as a primary medium in contemporary art.
Medium
Watercolor, gouache, felt-tip pen, ballpoint pen, pencil, and cut-and-taped printed paper on paper
Dimensions
16 1/2 x 23 1/4" (41.9 x 59.1 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Art & Project/Depot VBVR Gift
Accession
570.2007
Palette
Exhibitions
