
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION
Cat. No. 1012, unique variant 3
Les Oiseaux 3
- State/Variant:
- Only state, unique variant
- Date:
- 2009
- Descriptive Title:
-
English translation: "The Birds"
- Themes:
- Animals & Insects, Words
- Techniques:
- Aquatint
- Description:
- Aquatint, with red, pink, and blue watercolor, and pencil additions
- Support:
- Smooth, wove handmade Twinrocker paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 49 7/8 × 35 3/4" (126.7 × 90.8 cm); sheet: 47 3/4 × 33 3/4" (121.3 × 85.7 cm) (dimensions reflect full plate size; this is a partial print)
- Signature:
- "LB" lower right comp., pencil.
- Inscription:
- "Les / Les Nids / Les" lower center comp., pencil, artist's hand.
- Publisher:
- Osiris, New York
- Printer:
- Wingate Studio, Hinsdale, NH
- Edition:
- Unique
- Impression:
- Verso: "les oiseaux / #3" lower center sheet, pencil, artist's hand.
- Edition Information:
- "Les Oiseaux" was published as 3 unique variants, each with varying hand additions. The inking of the plate also varies from impression to impression. For comparison, see the Evolving Composition Diagram below.
- Curatorial Remarks:
- By examining the cancellation proof, it was determined that the word "Rouges" was etched in the lower center composition under "oiseaux." In this impression, the word was not inked at all.
"Les Oiseaux Rouges" is the title of a film by Brigitte Cornand, a French filmmaker who worked closely with Bourgeois in the last years of her life.
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY