LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

Descriptive Title:

Couple in a Bed

Themes:

Architecture, Body Parts, Figures, Objects

Techniques:

Drypoint, Etching

Description:

Drypoint and etching, with black watercolor wash, blue carbon, black ink, and pencil additions

Support:

Smooth, wove paper

Dimensions:

plate: 11 11/16 x 11 5/8" (29.7 x 29.6 cm); sheet: 15 3/4 x 15 3/4" (40 x 40 cm)

Signature:

Not signed

Publisher:

unpublished

Printer:

Harlan & Weaver, New York

Edition:

2 known variant impressions of state I

Impression:

Not numbered

Edition Information:

Proof before the editioning of state VII.

Background:

“Metamorfosis” is a collaboration initiated by Maria Fluxà, a Spanish gallery owner and collector. Fluxà first encountered Bourgeois’s work at the 1982 MoMA retrospective and felt a particular emotional connection to the “Femme Maison.” She then began enthusiastically collecting Bourgeois’s work, which she displayed in her gallery, Lluc Fluxà, in Palma de Mallorca (Spain). Taking inspiration from Bourgeois's themes of memory, identity, and trauma, Fluxà also staged a performance at her gallery titled “Götterdämmerung” that dealt with her own upbringing.

In 1993, Fluxà met Bourgeois at the MoMA opening of a Joan Miró exhibition, introducing herself as an admirer and collector. She later visited the artist, which led to discussions about a possible collaboration between the two.

Bourgeois had a sympathetic response to Fluxà’s difficult relationship with her father, a problem she shared. After meeting over the next several years, she agreed to participate in a collaborative work that became the illustrated book entitled, "Metamorfosis." Here, Fluxà creates a fusion of words and imagery that conflates her own identity with that of the artist. Bourgeois allowed images of her work to contribute to this fusion, and also created five prints especially for the volume. The book was published by Galerie Lelong, Paris, in 1999. For a deluxe edition, the volume was accompanied by a portfolio with two additional prints, making a total of seven compositions created by Bourgeois in conjunction with this project.

In 2005, Fluxà and Dolors Caballero organized the exhibition and catalogue, "Louise Bourgeois: Repairs in the sky" at the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation, in Mallorca. In 2008, Fluxà and Caballero also organized "La Sage Femme: Louise Bourgeois," an exhibition and catalogue of Fluxà's collection of Bourgeois works, at Sala Espacio AV, in Murcia (Spain).

Curatorial Remarks:

Bourgeois worked with the printer Harlan & Weaver, New York, to develop the compositions in "Metamorfosis." The plates were then turned over to the printer Atelier Tanguy Garric, Paris, for editioning and publication by Galerie Lelong, Paris.

According to Felix Harlan, of Harlan & Weaver, carbon transfers based on the artist's preexisting imagery were sometimes used as aids when developing compositions.

Other Remarks:

According to the artist's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, the beds seen throughout "Metamorfosis" stem not only from their symbolic resonance for Bourgeois but also from her interest in their geometric and architectural forms. The bed motif is found in Bourgeois's drawings, sculptures, and installations, as well as in her prints (see Related Works in Other Mediums).

MoMA Credit Line:

Gift of the artist

MoMA Accession Number:

530.1997

This Work in Other Collections:

Tate Modern, London

© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY