LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

Themes:

Abstraction, Nature, Spirals

Techniques:

Drypoint

Description:

Drypoint

Support:

Smooth, wove paper

Dimensions:

plate: 17 3/4 × 13 3/8" (45.1 × 34 cm); sheet: 30 1/2 × 22 7/16" (77.5 × 57 cm)

Signature:

"L.B. 2991" lower right comp., in plate; "Louise Bourgeois 91" lower right margin, pencil.

Inscription:

"Epreuve avant tirage" lower left margin, pencil, artist's hand.

Publisher:

unpublished

Printer:

Harlan & Weaver, New York

Edition:

1 known impression of version 1, state V

Impression:

Not numbered

Edition Information:

Not issued as a published edition at any state.

State Changes and Additions:

Changes from state IV, in drypoint: additional round elements enlarged.

Background:

Bourgeois created this composition through the use of photocopy studies and a hammering technique. She transferred her source drawing to a copper plate by photocopying it and then hammering a nail through the photocopy (study 1) and into the plate. That made heavily indented round marks in the plate. There are no images of that plate or any known impressions from it.

Bourgeois then made a larger photocopy study (study 2) from the first photocopy study. She placed the enlarged photocopy on top of another thin copper plate, and, using the photocopy’s image as a guide, she hammered through the photocopy with a nail and a screwdriver to make round and dash-like indentations in the plate. The indentations show as raised markings on the back of the plate. Both sides of the plate are pictured in the Evolving Composition Diagram below.

Bourgeois printed impressions from both sides of the plate. The version 1 impressions were pulled from the front of the plate and the version 2 impression was pulled from the back of the plate.

The artist employed a similar technique in the 1992 print compositions “Merci. Mercy.” and “We Love You” seen in Related Works in the Catalogue below.

Curatorial Remarks:

An amendment has been made here to the cataloguing found in Wye and Smith, "The Prints of Louise Bourgeois," 1994, p. 212, which lists this impression as version 1 of 2, state IV of V.

In addition to the photocopies of the source drawing used to develop the print composition, Bourgeois used two photocopies as the basis for new untitled drawings. Both can be seen in Related Works in Other Mediums below.

Former Cat. No.:

W & S 124.1

MoMA Credit Line:

Gift of the artist

MoMA Accession Number:

629.1993

© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY