Tilson, Joe | Pool, 1981 — available on Composition Gallery

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Mixed media on paper

Pool by Joe Tilson, created in 1981, is a mixed media print on paper that showcases the artist's signature blend of text and color. The composition is structured as a grid filled with the repeated word POOL, creating a sense of rhythm and pattern. A vibrant color gradient runs down the right side of the print, transitioning from yellow to green, blue, and red, which contrasts with the monochromatic repetition of the word. Below, swatches of color and texture appear, emphasizing Tilson's experimental approach to media and materiality. Measuring 106 cm × 76 cm, the work invites viewers to explore the interplay between language, color, and visual structure.

Joe Tilson (United Kingdom, 1928–2023) was a British artist and a leading figure in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. His work encompassed paintings, prints, and constructions, often incorporating vibrant colors and popular culture imagery. Tilson's art is held in public collections including the Tate Gallery, London; MoMA, New York; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.

Joe Tilson

Pool, 1981

Name: Pool, 1981
SKU: 11165
Price: 2500.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Form

Limited Edition Print

Limited Edition PrintA limited edition print is one of a number of prints made at the same time from one printmaking plate. A fixed number are made and signed by the artist, indicating the printing order, using the format 1/10, meaning first of ten prints.

Medium

Mixed Media

Mixed MediaMixed media refers to artwork that incorporates more than one medium within a single piece. Unlike multimedia art, which combines distinct forms of visual art and often includes elements like sound, video, or digital media, mixed media focuses on combining traditional art materials, such as paint, ink, and collage. Mixed media art allows artists to achieve a wide range of effects and textures by layering and blending different materials.

Edition

Edition of 80 + PA

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●Inventory 11165

●Signed

Limited Edition Print

Lithograph

USD 2,000

Joe Tilson

The oracle of zeus, 1980

Limited Edition Print

Limited Edition Print

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I think it's a mistake for painters or poets to get too involved in politics, any more than it makes sense for them to get swept up in being fashionable.
- Joe Tilson

One of the leading artists of the 1960’s British Pop Art movement, Joe Tilson has drawn from his own experience as a carpenter to create wooden reliefs and constructions, alongside prints and paintings. His earliest work was print-making; Tilson would craft unique prints on which he would paint directly, adding a handmade quality - he would often blur the lines between two and three-dimensional space, as evident in his Bela Lugosi Journal piece. Later in his career, Tilson began to widen his range of materials to include rope, straw and stone, all of which he used as a means to escape the constraints of time and culture by making use of pre-classical motifs for which he is now widely recognised. (Artist website)

Artwork by William Sweetlove

What is Kitsch?

Kitsch is a term used to describe cheap, commercial, sentimental, or vulgar art and objects commonly associated with popular culture. The word is borrowed from German, where it originally means trash. Since the 1920s, kitsch has been used to denote the opposite of high art, often implying that the work lacks sophistication or artistic merit.

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Joe Tilson

Pool, 1981

106 x 76 cm

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Joe Tilson