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LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

Louise Bourgeois: Complete Books & Prints
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Compositions (1,574)
Sheets (5,410)



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Untitled (Study for Topiary: The Art of Improving Nature)

State/Variant:
Study
Date:
1997
Themes:
Figures, Nature
Techniques:
Other
Description:
Photocopy, with pencil and blue ink additions
Support:
Smooth paper
Dimensions:
sheet: 17 x 11" (43.2 x 27.9 cm)
Signature:
"LB / 97" right lower sheet, pencil.
Publisher:
unpublished
Edition:
1 known study
Impression:
Not numbered
Artist’s Remarks:
Written on a loose sheet, c. 1990s:
“Topiary
The trainer, the teacher, the carver, the butcher
To reject (cut off) and be moral about it
That is the fun
To nurture and train to full potential (valuable, useful)
I am going to cut (reject) everything in sight because I did not get what I wanted
What
To be loved by 1, 2, 3, 4
c’est la peur […]”
(The Easton Foundation: LB-0050)
Curatorial Remarks:
The compositions for plates 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the “Topiary” portfolio are related and appear to have shared some of the same source drawings and photocopy studies. Known studies are illustrated in the Evolving Composition Diagram and as Related Works in the Catalogue for each plate.
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
347.2011