Louise Bourgeois. Hold My Bones (2000)

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Cat. No. 1212.1/II, variant 4

Hold My Bones

State/Variant:: Version 1 of 2, state II of III, variant
Date:: 2000

Themes:: Body Parts, Music
Techniques:: Drypoint
Description:: Drypoint, with selective wiping and chine collé, and red and blue crayon, and red ink additions
Support:: Smooth, wove Hahnemühle paper, with music paper chine collé
Dimensions:: plate: 4 15/16 x 8 5/16" (12.5 x 21.1 cm); sheet: 11 1/8 x 15 3/8" (28.2 x 39 cm)
Signature:: "LB" lower right margin, red ink.
Inscription:: "HC" lower left margin, red ink, artist's hand.
Publisher:: unpublished
Printer:: Harlan & Weaver, New York
Edition:: 35 known impressions of version 1, state II
Impression:: Not numbered
Edition Information:: Not issued as a published edition at any state.

The "HC" inscription, in the artist's hand, does not indicate a conventional H.C. impression, which would be included in an edition.

There are 16 additional known impressions of this state in MoMA's Collection. They are not illustrated, due to their similarity to the other impressions seen in the Evolving Composition Diagram below. One impression is on white paper (Accession Number: 854.2008) while the remaining 15 impressions are on blue, slightly textured, laid Dieu Donné paper (Accession Numbers: 1425.2008, 1426.2008, 1427.2008, 1429.2008, 1430.2008, 1431.2008, 1432.2008, 1433.2008, 1434.2008, 1435.2008, 1436.2008, 1437.2008, 1438.2008, 1439.2008, 1440.2008).
State Changes and Additions:: Changes from version 1, state I, in drypoint: shading added to left and right ends of shape.
Artist’s Remarks:: Inscribed on the source drawing: "Treaser Trove" (sic) upper right sheet, black ink, artist's hand; "I hold [obscured]" lower right sheet, pencil, artist's hand; "Hold my bones / together" lower right sheet, pencil, artist's hand.

About the source drawing, 1994: "This is my favorite drawing of all. It is a call for help. It means, 'Keep me together, do not abandon me, hold my bones together.' Speaking of the toi and moi! It should be called 'Friendship, The Value of Friendship.' I made this for Nigel Finch, the filmmaker. He just passed away." (Quote cited in Bourgeois, Louise and Lawrence Rinder. "Louise Bourgeois Drawings and Observations." Berkeley: University Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive University of California, Berkeley; Boston: Bulfinch Press, 1995, p. 175.)
Curatorial Remarks:: Nigel Finch (1949-1995) was a British filmmaker. In 1994, he directed a documentary about the artist titled "Louise Bourgeois: No Trespassing."
MoMA Credit Line:: Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:: 852.2008