Untitled 1970

Olivier Mosset created this ‘Untitled’ painting, which is just a white square with a black circle, sometime after his birth in Switzerland in 1944. Mosset was a member of the minimalist BMPT group in France, a collective known for challenging the art establishment in the 1960s and 70s. The group questioned the notion of artistic genius by producing works that were simple, repetitive, and seemingly devoid of personal expression. This piece is a good example of this, the simplicity of the monochrome geometric shapes rejects any deep meaning and rejects the tradition of expressive painting. By stripping away traditional artistic conventions and focusing on pure form, Mosset prompts us to question the social and institutional structures that define what we consider to be ‘art’. This sort of minimalist approach relies on critical discourse and analysis to be fully understood, making art history a critical part of the artistic process.