MARIO SCHIFANO (1934-1998)

With its instantly recognizable imagery, Untitled is part of Mario Schifano’s series of works based on the iconic Coca-Cola logo. With its vivid red, painterly brushstrokes, the painting embodies the artist’s engagement with consumerist iconography and fine art of the post-war period. Although Schifano is affiliated with the ascension of a global Pop art, his approach was fundamentally distinct from that of his American contemporaries including Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Although Coca-Cola came to symbolise an aggressive capitalism, the rise of Communism in the aftermath of World War II presented an alternative polemic. Within this context, Schifano’s use of the logo points to a complicated politics, and the expressive colour and fragmented text underscore the shifting associations that Coca-Cola connotes.