Louise Bourgeois. Hold My Bones (2000)

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NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION

Cat. No. 1212.1/II, variant 17

Hold My Bones

State/Variant:: Version 1 of 2, state II of III, variant
Date:: 2000

Themes:: Body Parts
Techniques:: Drypoint
Description:: Drypoint, with selective wiping, and white and pink crayon, red ink, and pencil additions
Support:: Slightly textured, laid Dieu Donné paper
Dimensions:: plate: 4 15/16" (12.5 cm); sheet: 9 × 11 3/4" (22.9 × 29.8 cm)
Signature:: "LB" lower right margin, pencil.
Publisher:: unpublished
Printer:: Harlan & Weaver, New York
Edition:: 35 known impressions of version 1, state II
Impression:: Not numbered
Edition Information:: Not issued as a published edition at any state.

There are 16 additional known impressions of this state in MoMA's Collection. They are not illustrated, due to their similarity to the other impressions seen in the Evolving Composition Diagram below. One impression is on white paper (Accession Number: 854.2008) while the remaining 15 impressions are on blue, slightly textured, laid Dieu Donné paper (Accession Numbers: 1425.2008, 1426.2008, 1427.2008, 1429.2008, 1430.2008, 1431.2008, 1432.2008, 1433.2008, 1434.2008, 1435.2008, 1436.2008, 1437.2008, 1438.2008, 1439.2008, 1440.2008).
State Changes and Additions:: Changes from version 1, state I, in drypoint: shading added to left and right ends of shape.
Artist’s Remarks:: Inscribed on the source drawing: "Treaser Trove" (sic) upper right sheet, black ink, artist's hand; "I hold [obscured]" lower right sheet, pencil, artist's hand; "Hold my bones / together" lower right sheet, pencil, artist's hand.

About the source drawing, 1994: "This is my favorite drawing of all. It is a call for help. It means, 'Keep me together, do not abandon me, hold my bones together.' Speaking of the toi and moi! It should be called 'Friendship, The Value of Friendship.' I made this for Nigel Finch, the filmmaker. He just passed away." (Quote cited in Bourgeois, Louise and Lawrence Rinder. "Louise Bourgeois Drawings and Observations." Berkeley: University Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive University of California, Berkeley; Boston: Bulfinch Press, 1995, p. 175.)
Curatorial Remarks:: Nigel Finch (1949-1995) was a British filmmaker. In 1994, he directed a documentary about the artist titled "Louise Bourgeois: No Trespassing."
Other Remarks:: Felix Harlan, of Harlan & Weaver, had this paper made to match the color of the artist's favorite blue stationary. Bourgeois wanted to try printing on her actual stationary but it was not suitable for printing.