Welcome to MoMA.org. To take full advantage of all the site’s features, including the option to save works in the collection, please upgrade your browser to Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer 9. See our help page for more information.
Proof before the editioning of state VIII on paper and of state IX on fabric.
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from state II in drypoint: male's and female's features further delineated; female figure's hair and shoes delineated; male figure's hair, Adam's apple, and genitals delineated; groundline delineated. Additions in red and blue ink: female figure's necklace delineated, anticipating state IV. Additions in red ink: female figure's breasts delineated, anticipating state IV.
Background:
The artist told printer Felix Harlan that the figures in this series are playing an adult version of a French children's game, known as "faire des galipettes," meaning to do somersaults. In fact, the expression "faire des galipettes" is also slang for having sex, a punning reference that Bourgeois must have enjoyed.
If you are interested in reproducing images from The Museum of Modern Art web site, please visit the Image Permissions page (www.moma.org/permissions). For additional information about using content from MoMA.org, please visit About this Site (www.moma.org/site).