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LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

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



Showing 4 of 13

Cat. No. 843/III

Untitled

State/Variant:
State III of VIII
Date:
1997-2000
Descriptive Title:
Rivers of France; Map of France
Themes:
Nature
Techniques:
Drypoint
Description:
Drypoint, with red pencil, blue and yellow crayon, pencil, and stylus additions
Support:
Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:
plate: 9 3/8 x 7 1/2" (23.8 x 19 cm); sheet: 16 1/4 x 11" (41.2 x 28 cm)
Signature:
Not signed
Publisher:
unpublished
Printer:
Harlan & Weaver, New York
Edition:
1 known impression of state III
Impression:
Not numbered
Edition Information:
Not issued as a published edition at any state.
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from state II, by burnishing: upper left comp. partially removed.
Changes from state II, in drypoint: upper left comp. reconfigured; lower left and upper right comp. further delineated.
Background:
Proximity to rivers was of importance to the Bourgeois family's tapestry restoration business. This connection to rivers remained with the artist long after her childhood and inspired a number of projects, including "Water Divide," "Ode à la Bièvre," and "Point d'ironie," seen in Related Works in the Catalogue below.

Bourgeois began this untitled composition of French waterways in 1997. She continued to work on this composition into the 2000s, incorporating changes to the composition after making a source drawing on a photocopied map of France.
Curatorial Remarks:
An additional known impression of this composition was not available for reproduction. From a poor quality image of the print, it has been determined that it may be an impression of an additional state that comes between states II and III, as illustrated in the Evolving Composition Diagram below. The print in question appears to have been burnished in the upper left composition, and not yet further developed in the lower left. This was determined without the benefit of being able to examine the print in person. It is inscribed by the artist "1997 / L'année du voyage / en France / Le 5 mai Becky a 14 ans / Bon Anniversaire" in the lower composition, and signed "LB" in the lower right composition. This impression was gifted to the daughter of a close friend on the occasion of her first visit to France.
Other Remarks:
According to Felix Harlan, of Harlan & Weaver, New York, Bourgeois's map compositions stem from her desire to sort through memories and associations with different places. The artist used preexisting maps as references for her own abstracted compositions, excluding the information essential to map reading. In this way, the maps served more as personal documents for the artist, rather than as references or guides.
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
741.2008

Untitled
1997-2010

Source
2004

NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 2004
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Untitled
Ink, pencil, and colored pencil on paper
2004

States

Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 1997-2000
State I of VIII, variant
1997-2000
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 1997-2000
State I of VIII, variant
1997-2000
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 1997-2000
State II of VIII
1997-2000
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 1997-2000
State III of VIII
1997-2000
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 1997-2000
State IV of VIII
1997-2000
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 1997-2000
State IV of VIII, variant
1997-2000
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 1997-2000
State IV of VIII, variant
1997-2000
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 1997-2000
State V of VIII
1997-2000
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 2000
State VI of VIII
2000
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 2004
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION State VII of VIII
2004
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 2000
State VII of VIII, variant
2000
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 2004
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION State VII of VIII, variant
2004
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 2010
State VIII of VIII
2010