François Morellet
Untitled, 2001

Artist
François Morellet

Title
Untitled

Year of creation
2001

Technology and dimensions
Object with white neon tubes, diameter: 2 meters

Year of acquisition
2007

A neon work by the now 81-year-old French artist is missing from the National Gallery's collection, which has a minimalist painting by Francois Morellet. The work proposed for purchase from 2001 comes from the second phase of his engagement with the medium. While the early neon works created in the 1960s are characterized by complicated switching rhythms that lead to seemingly confusing lighting effects, the later works can be defined as constant light drawings in space.

“Untitled” is part of the Lunatiques C series that Morellet began in 1996. The name and shape of these works derive from the round moon. According to the artist, this connection is more than just a formal analogy, as it also alludes to the occasionally restless effect of moonlight.

Both are immediately clear in the work. The semicircular, white glowing neon rods fixed on a round plate create an open, unstable shape. The rhythmically and dynamically arranged neon lights seem to want to stop for a moment a potentially changeable sequence of movements that is unknown to the viewer. In addition to Morellet's central theme - the simultaneous representation of order and chaos - "Untitled" impresses with its high aesthetic appeal.