by Tom Gurney
Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on September 29, 2026
Email: tomgurney1@gmail.com / Phone: +44 7429 011000
About the painting
“Serigraph” means an artist’s screenprint. The grid image previously shown on this page is not tied to a verified Mondrian print edition or catalogue record. It remains a visual example of a Mondrian-like arrangement, not evidence that Mondrian made or signed the pictured sheet. This page explains what a screenprinted reproduction can be and what to check before attributing one.[1]
At a glance
- ArtistPiet Mondrian (1872–1944)
- TitleMondrian Serigraphs and Screenprinted Reproductions
- TermSerigraph is an art-world term for screenprint
- ProcessInk is pushed through a prepared screen onto a support
- Pictured imageEdition, maker and date unverified
- AttributionDo not describe this image as an original Mondrian print
- RelatedMondrian’s paintings and drawings have independent object records
Mondrian across periods
Contents
- What does “serigraph” mean?
- What can be said about this image?
- How to check a claimed Mondrian print
- Why the source painting matters
- A practical attribution checklist
What does “serigraph” mean?
MoMA's printmaking guide explains that screenprinting uses a stencil on a screen; ink is pulled through the open parts, usually one colour or screen at a time. The term “serigraph” developed in the late 1930s to distinguish artistic screenprints from commercial screenprinted material. It names a method, not proof of who designed, printed or signed a particular sheet.[1]
 The Red Tree Piet Mondrian.jpg)
A printed image based on a Mondrian painting can have several histories. It might be an authorised later reproduction, a poster, a portfolio plate made after his death, or a contemporary design borrowing his vocabulary. The original painted canvas and any later print are separate physical objects. A print's value and correct label depend on its own maker, publisher, date, edition, signature and documented source image.
For a concrete comparison, Te Papa in New Zealand catalogues a 1953 Atelier Arcay colour screenprint after a 1921 Mondrian painting. Nelly van Doesburg supervised that posthumous production, according to the museum. It records the printer, date, process and the original artist as separate facts, and notes that the print was initially sold as an actual Mondrian because the copied design was so faithful. This is an identified institutional sheet; it does not authenticate the unverified illustration on this page, but it shows the kind of documentation a serious attribution needs.[3]
What can be said about this image?
The page's existing illustration shows a simple black grid with a blue lower-right area. No verified edition number, printer, publisher, signature or institutional object record accompanies it in the local site. Its geometry resembles Mondrian's mature arrangements, but resemblance alone cannot identify a particular painting or establish an original print by the artist. The image is retained to avoid an unnecessary image search; its caption must keep this limitation clear.
Watch: Piet Mondrian
See his studio, the move toward geometric abstraction and the rhythms of his New York paintings.
Piet Mondrian: Abstract Painting as We Know It
Curator Michael White explores the paintings and Mondrian’s studio as an abstract space.
Watch on YouTubeHow to check a claimed Mondrian print
Start with the exact title and image. Compare them with an institutional painting or print catalogue, not a seller's generic description. Inspect the sheet for a printer's mark, publisher, edition number and date, then seek a catalogue or collection record that identifies that edition. A posthumous print should be labelled as such even if it faithfully reproduces a Mondrian composition. Screenprinting can produce flat blocks of colour effectively, but its clean edges are not themselves proof of authorship.
For Mondrian's own work, browse the paintings and prints and drawings sections by identified object. The 1921 Tableau I is an oil painting, not a serigraph.
Why the source painting matters
Screenprinting is well suited to broad areas of flat colour, which is why later publishers have used it for Mondrian reproductions. That visual suitability can also mislead. A blue rectangle and black bars may resemble several different paintings, and a cropped print may omit the distinctive edge that identifies the source. Before calling a sheet a reproduction of a particular Mondrian, compare the relative size and location of every coloured field with a museum image and object record. If no exact match can be made, a more general description is warranted.
It is equally important to distinguish the maker of the image from the maker of the physical print. Mondrian may have made the original design as a painting; a printer may have translated it to screens decades later. The date of the painting, the date of printing and the date of any later reissue can all differ. None can be inferred from a single number written in a corner.
A practical attribution checklist
Record the complete sheet, including margins and reverse, not only the coloured image. Identify any publisher's stamp, printer's mark, handwritten edition fraction or certificate, and verify each against an independent edition record. Examine whether the signature is printed as part of the image or applied to the sheet. Confirm the source work's catalogue number and collection before borrowing its title. MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum explain screenprinting as a technique; those accounts do not authenticate this particular illustration or any seller's claimed Mondrian edition.[1][2]
For the image currently on this page, the necessary documentation has not been established. Its educational value is therefore to show how little authorship can be concluded from style alone. A stronger attribution would require a traceable edition record, not merely a sharper file or a more confident caption.
Mondrian artworks directory
Frequently asked questions
What is a serigraph?
An artistic screenprint made by pushing ink through prepared areas of a screen.[1]
Did Mondrian make the image shown here?
The local image has no verified edition or object identity, so authorship of a print cannot be claimed.[1]
Is a reproduction the same as a painting?
No. The canvas and a later printed image are different physical objects with different makers and dates.[1]
Discussion
Which details would help identify a print edition?
Reader Insights
What can a grid image alone establish?
How would you separate a painting from a later print?
How would you separate a painting from a later print?
Join the Conversation
Share what you notice in this painting below.
References
- The Museum of Modern Art, What Is a Print? brochure on screenprinting and the term serigraph. View source.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Screenprint process explanation. View source.
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, collection record for Composition, the 1953 Atelier Arcay screenprint after Mondrian. View source.
- Lead image credit. Illustrative Mondrian-like grid. No verified printer, edition, date or attribution accompanies this image.
