LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

Themes:

Abstraction, Nature

Techniques:

Etching

Description:

Soft ground etching, with blue watercolor additions

Support:

Paper

Dimensions:

sheet: 7 3/8 × 16 3/8" (18.7 × 41.6 cm)

Signature:

"LB." right lower middle margin, pencil.

Inscription:

"La / Bièvre / Watteau" left middle margin, blue pencil, artist's hand.

Publisher:

Osiris, New York

Printer:

Wingate Studio, Hinsdale, NH

Edition:

3 known impressions of the only state

Impression:

Not numbered

Edition Information:

The hand additions on this composition vary from impression to impression, as do the titles. For comparison, see the other examples in the Evolving Composition Diagram below.

Background:

The Bièvre River in Antony, an area outside of Paris, held a special place in Bourgeois’s memory. Her family had moved to Antony after World War I, and she spent her childhood years there. They chose this location for its proximity to the river, which contained tannin, an important ingredient in the setting of tapestry dyes for the family’s tapestry restoration business. The Bièvre River cut across the backyard of the property, which was beautifully planted by Bourgeois’s mother and father. In the early 1950s, the Bièvre was filled in. Several works by Bourgeois pay homage to this river.

Curatorial Remarks:

The plate size and paper type could not be documented because this work is not in MoMA's Collection and could not be examined in person.

© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY