“Module XVII” Marko Spalatin (b.1945), 1973 serigraph/screenprint 30×25, pencil-signed, titled & numbered 35/50.

$2,200.00

“Module XVII” Marko Spalatin (b.1945), 1973 serigraph/screenprint 30×25, pencil-signed, titled & numbered 35/50.

A 1973 geometric abstraction serigraph by Croatian-American master Marko Spalatin, Module XVII exemplifies his celebrated modular cube vocabulary. Precision screenprinting, saturated color blocks, and calibrated tonal shifts create a striking illusion of depth and rotation. Pencil-signed, titled, and numbered 35/50—a highly collectible example of Spalatin’s mature 1970s hard-edge printmaking.

Artwork Description

What you’re looking at
Module XVII presents a tightly controlled arrangement of repeated geometric “modules” that appear to hinge, stack, and project into space. The composition is symmetrical yet optically dynamic, producing movement through color relationships rather than gesture.

Style & period
Created in 1973, the work belongs to Spalatin’s most important period, aligning with hard-edge abstraction and Op Art–adjacent geometry. Clean edges, flat planes of color, and spatial ambiguity place the work firmly within the international dialogue on perception and visual systems that defined postwar abstraction.

Medium & technique (serigraph/screenprint)
The serigraph is constructed through multiple screens, each depositing a single, opaque color layer. Spalatin’s mastery lies in his ability to use uniform pigment and exact registration to make flat color behave spatially. Warm ochres, yellows, and muted greens compete and cooperate, causing planes to advance and recede through simultaneous contrast.

Signature & editioning
The print is pencil-signed by the artist (lower right), titled (lower left), and numbered 35/50 (lower center). The modest edition size enhances its desirability and positions it firmly within his core collector market.

Inspiration / conceptual framework
Spalatin viewed each work as a self-imposed visual problem: how form can serve as a vehicle for color and light. In the Module series, repetition becomes polyphonic—individual units operate independently while contributing to a unified perceptual field. His long experience with scuba diving subtly informs these compositions, echoing submerged light, shifting depth, and the instability of spatial perception.

Marko Spalatin (b. 1945)

Background & training
Marko Spalatin was born in Zagreb, Croatia, in 1945 and immigrated to the United States in 1963. He studied at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, earning a B.S. in Art in 1968 and an M.F.A. in 1971. His academic training coincided with a surge of experimentation in American printmaking and geometric abstraction.

Where he practiced
Spalatin is closely associated with Wisconsin, where he developed his mature visual language and became a central figure in the region’s print renaissance. From this base, his work achieved international visibility through galleries, museums, and biennials across Europe and North America.

Artistic influences & style
Spalatin’s work reflects a rigorous engagement with constructivist geometry, hard-edge painting, and perceptual art, yet remains deeply personal. Rather than relying on optical tricks alone, he investigates how color relationships destabilize fixed readings of form. Symmetry is often used as a structural anchor, only to be activated by subtle chromatic disruptions.

Printmaking significance
He is especially respected for his serigraphs, which allowed him to pursue absolute control over color density and edge definition—essential to his investigation of simultaneous contrast. Works from his Module, Cube Field, and related series are widely regarded as definitive expressions of his practice.

Exhibitions & institutional recognition
Spalatin’s work has been exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe, and internationally from the late 1960s onward. His works are held in major public collections, including leading modern and contemporary art museums and national libraries, underscoring his importance within postwar geometric abstraction.

Collector perspective
Among Spalatin’s output, the Module series is considered foundational. Roman-numeral works from the early 1970s—such as Module XVII—are viewed as mature, resolved statements and are consistently favored by collectors and institutions alike.

Marko Spalatin (Croatian-American, b. 1945), Module XVII, 1973. Serigraph/screenprint in colors on paper, 30 × 25 inches. Pencil signed, titled, and numbered 35/50. Geometric hard-edge abstraction with strong optical depth. Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery to Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC.

Certificate of Value & Authentication

Artist: Marko Spalatin (b. 1945)
Title:Module XVII
Year: 1973
Medium: Serigraph / screenprint in colors on paper
Dimensions: 30 × 25 inches
Edition: 35/50
Signatures/Marks: Pencil signed, titled, and numbered by the artist
Condition (visual): No visible condition issues noted from available images; in-person inspection recommended
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery (acquired in NYC, United States and Europe) → Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Authentication: Medium, date, editioning, and presentation are fully consistent with Marko Spalatin’s documented 1970s serigraph practice

Provenance Chain (Collector Format)

Marko Spalatin (artist) → Mitch Morse Gallery (publisher/agent; acquired in NYC, United States and Europe) → Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner).

“Module XVII” Marko Spalatin (b.1945), 1973 serigraph/screenprint 30×25, pencil-signed, titled & numbered 35/50.

A 1973 geometric abstraction serigraph by Croatian-American master Marko Spalatin, Module XVII exemplifies his celebrated modular cube vocabulary. Precision screenprinting, saturated color blocks, and calibrated tonal shifts create a striking illusion of depth and rotation. Pencil-signed, titled, and numbered 35/50—a highly collectible example of Spalatin’s mature 1970s hard-edge printmaking.

Artwork Description

What you’re looking at
Module XVII presents a tightly controlled arrangement of repeated geometric “modules” that appear to hinge, stack, and project into space. The composition is symmetrical yet optically dynamic, producing movement through color relationships rather than gesture.

Style & period
Created in 1973, the work belongs to Spalatin’s most important period, aligning with hard-edge abstraction and Op Art–adjacent geometry. Clean edges, flat planes of color, and spatial ambiguity place the work firmly within the international dialogue on perception and visual systems that defined postwar abstraction.

Medium & technique (serigraph/screenprint)
The serigraph is constructed through multiple screens, each depositing a single, opaque color layer. Spalatin’s mastery lies in his ability to use uniform pigment and exact registration to make flat color behave spatially. Warm ochres, yellows, and muted greens compete and cooperate, causing planes to advance and recede through simultaneous contrast.

Signature & editioning
The print is pencil-signed by the artist (lower right), titled (lower left), and numbered 35/50 (lower center). The modest edition size enhances its desirability and positions it firmly within his core collector market.

Inspiration / conceptual framework
Spalatin viewed each work as a self-imposed visual problem: how form can serve as a vehicle for color and light. In the Module series, repetition becomes polyphonic—individual units operate independently while contributing to a unified perceptual field. His long experience with scuba diving subtly informs these compositions, echoing submerged light, shifting depth, and the instability of spatial perception.

Marko Spalatin (b. 1945)

Background & training
Marko Spalatin was born in Zagreb, Croatia, in 1945 and immigrated to the United States in 1963. He studied at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, earning a B.S. in Art in 1968 and an M.F.A. in 1971. His academic training coincided with a surge of experimentation in American printmaking and geometric abstraction.

Where he practiced
Spalatin is closely associated with Wisconsin, where he developed his mature visual language and became a central figure in the region’s print renaissance. From this base, his work achieved international visibility through galleries, museums, and biennials across Europe and North America.

Artistic influences & style
Spalatin’s work reflects a rigorous engagement with constructivist geometry, hard-edge painting, and perceptual art, yet remains deeply personal. Rather than relying on optical tricks alone, he investigates how color relationships destabilize fixed readings of form. Symmetry is often used as a structural anchor, only to be activated by subtle chromatic disruptions.

Printmaking significance
He is especially respected for his serigraphs, which allowed him to pursue absolute control over color density and edge definition—essential to his investigation of simultaneous contrast. Works from his Module, Cube Field, and related series are widely regarded as definitive expressions of his practice.

Exhibitions & institutional recognition
Spalatin’s work has been exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe, and internationally from the late 1960s onward. His works are held in major public collections, including leading modern and contemporary art museums and national libraries, underscoring his importance within postwar geometric abstraction.

Collector perspective
Among Spalatin’s output, the Module series is considered foundational. Roman-numeral works from the early 1970s—such as Module XVII—are viewed as mature, resolved statements and are consistently favored by collectors and institutions alike.

Marko Spalatin (Croatian-American, b. 1945), Module XVII, 1973. Serigraph/screenprint in colors on paper, 30 × 25 inches. Pencil signed, titled, and numbered 35/50. Geometric hard-edge abstraction with strong optical depth. Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery to Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC.

Certificate of Value & Authentication

Artist: Marko Spalatin (b. 1945)
Title:Module XVII
Year: 1973
Medium: Serigraph / screenprint in colors on paper
Dimensions: 30 × 25 inches
Edition: 35/50
Signatures/Marks: Pencil signed, titled, and numbered by the artist
Condition (visual): No visible condition issues noted from available images; in-person inspection recommended
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery (acquired in NYC, United States and Europe) → Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Authentication: Medium, date, editioning, and presentation are fully consistent with Marko Spalatin’s documented 1970s serigraph practice

Provenance Chain (Collector Format)

Marko Spalatin (artist) → Mitch Morse Gallery (publisher/agent; acquired in NYC, United States and Europe) → Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner).

“MODULE XVII”-

MARKO SPALATIN - Serigraph - Signed & Numbered - 35/50

Image 25-1/2 x 20 inches (including signature and narrow white margin), paper 30-1/2 x 25-1/2 inches.  LIMITED EDITION HAND PULLED & DRAWN ORIGINAL SERIGRAPH, NUMBERED & HAND SIGNED BY ARTIST. From the retired Mitch Moore Gallery Inc, NYC. Unmatted, never framed or displayed. Image area is in very good frameable vintage condition. 

ARTISTS BIO:   Marko Spalatin:  Born in 1945 in Zagreb, Croatia, Marko Spalatin immigrated to the United States in 1963.   He studied at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and earned a B.S. in Art in 1968 and a M.F.A. in 1971.   He is well known for his colorful geometric designs in the form of limited edition prints and also original paintings. The movement of light through the world and across variegated surfaces and the relationship between them, is one of the focal points of Spalatin's work. Although the paintings are inspired by nature, the specific source is finally not what is important. Spalatin's painting may inspire the viewer to recall the shifting brilliance of sunlight on summer's leaves, the swaying movements of a school of brightly colored tropical fish, the glittering reflections of moonlight on the ocean, or some other dazzling occurrence in nature. However, the viewer's task is not to figure out where a painting comes from, the to experience what it is.   His work is displayed in major museums around the world.  Read more about the artist and see a sampling of his other works on his website.  Search on Marko Spalatin. 

  • ARTIST'S STATEMENT: "My work represents a continuous involvement with abstract geometric forms defined by careful manipulation of color and light. The relationship between form and color within the pictorial field demands a visually symbiotic presence. The challenge revolves around the selection of a form as a vehicle for color, as well as choosing appropriate color and light for that form. This interplay creates a primary spatial illusion, along with secondary effects. I find that precisely defined areas of color, when placed against each other, compete for dominance. This activity, when further accentuated by tonal structure, produces multiple levels of perception. A given area of uniformly applied pigment loses its flat character through simultaneous contract with the surrounding colors. In many cases, the positive and negative spaces within the field become interchangeable. In more complex paintings, when the substructure is a series of repetitive modules, the color-light interplay reveals its polyphonic character. In general, my compositions remain formal and symmetrical in order to be set in motion by unexpected mutations of color and light. In some cases, the careful placement of small areas of saturated color against a backdrop of transitional grays creates an illusion of suspended particles. There is no doubt that in these images in particular, my sense of color and light is subconsciously influenced and sustained by many years of scuba diving in the waters of the Adriatic Sea and the Caribbean. I am intrigued by the relativity of color and by the mystery of light, and I am constantly challenged to explore their potentials. Every painting becomes a self-imposed visual problem, subjectively resolved in search of an objective truth."

  • His prints and paintings have been featured in over 70 solo exhibitions across the US, as well as in France, Croatia, Canada, Lebanon, Italy, and Slovenia, and in numerous group exhibitions in 12 countries. Spalatin’s work is represented in many private, corporate, and public collections, including:

COMMISSIONS AND PERMANENT COLLECTIONS

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY

Musee d'Art Modern, Paris

Tate Gallery, London

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA

New York Public Library, New York City

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Akron Art Institute, Akron, Ohio

Oklahoma Art Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

U.S. Steel Collection, Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh National Bank, Pittsburgh, PA

Wisconsin Art Foundation

International Graphic Art Society, New York

American National Insurance Company, Galveston, Texas

Chase Manhattan Bank

Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, Philadelphia, PA

Bibliotheque National, Paris, France

Museum of Contemporary Art-Chicago, Illinois

Metropolitan Museum-Manila, Philippines

Philadelphia Museum of Art-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Butler Institute of American Art-Youngstown, Ohio

Museum of Modern Art-Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Milwaukee Art Museum-Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cleveland Museum of Art-Cleveland, Ohio

Elvehjem Museum of Art-Madison, Wisconsin

Museum of Modern Art-Novi Sad, Yugoslavia

Madison Art Center-Madison, Wisconsin

Masur Museum of Art-Monroe, Louisiana

National Arts Club-New York, New York

Albrecht Museum-St. Joseph, Missouri

Billings Art Center-Billings, Montana

National & University Library-Zagreb, Croatia

Rochester Museum of Art-Rochester, New York

Museum of Modern Art-Ljubljana, Slovenia

ONE MAN SHOWS

1971-Galerie Lahumiere, Paris

1971-University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

1971-Madison Art Center, Madison, Wisconsin

1970-Fairwather Hardin Gallery, Chicago, Illinois

1070-Akron Art Institute, Akron, Ohio

GROUP SHOWS

1970-Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy

1970-Workd's Fair, Osaka Japan

1970-Phoenix Gallery, Berkeley, California

1970-New York State Council on the Arts travelling exhibition, in collaboration with the Brooklyn Museum

1970-Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, New York

1969-Lincoln Memorial Art Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

1969-Madison Art Center, Madison, Wisconsin

1969-The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York

1968-American Graphic Workshops Exhibition, Cincinnati, Ohio

AWARDS AND PRIZES

1971-Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.