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LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

Louise Bourgeois: Complete Books & Prints
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Cat. No. 480.2/II

Bed

State/Variant:
Version 2 of 3, state II of IV
Date:
1997
Alternate Title:
Bed #1; Bed I
Themes:
Architecture, Objects
Techniques:
Drypoint, Engraving, Etching
Description:
Soft ground etching, drypoint, and engraving
Support:
Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:
plate: 16 3/8 x 19 3/4" (41.6 x 50.1 cm); sheet: 21 15/16 x 23 13/16" (55.7 x 60.5 cm)
Signature:
Not signed
Publisher:
unpublished
Printer:
Harlan & Weaver, New York
Edition:
2 known impressions of version 2, state II
Impression:
Not numbered
Edition Information:
Proof before the editioning of version 2, state IV. This composition was also issued as published editions at version 3, state X and version 3, state XI.
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from version 1, in soft ground etching: composition transferred to new plate by tracing photocopy of first source drawing onto copper plate.
Changes from version 1, in engraving: floorboards added and lines in bedspread refined.
Changes from version 1, in drypoint: bed frame shaded and composition reinforced overall.
Changes from version 2, state I, by burnishing: bed skirt removed.
Changes from version 2, state I, in engraving: bottom contour of bedspread reinforced.
Background:
Version 2, state IV of this composition was published as a benefit for the Rivington House branch of Village Care of New York (previously Village Center for Care). Version 3, state XI of this composition was published as a benefit for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.
Artist’s Remarks:
Inscribed on the verso of the source drawing: "Aug 20th Wardrobe Series / Les dessin de lit ne sont pas mal, mais des sacs de matelas seraient mieux, dessins de lit, the more, the better. Ce dessin n'est pas assez exact."

"Two things you count in one's erotic life: dinner table and bed. The table where your parents made you suffer. And the bed where you lie with your husband, where your children were born and you will die. Essentially, since they are about the same size, they are the same object." (Quote cited in Munro, Eleanor. "Originals: American Women Artists." New York: Simon and Schuster,1979, pp. 154-9.)
Other Remarks:
According to the artist's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, the subject of beds stems 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).

According to Wendy Williams of the Louise Bourgeois Studio, this composition was the source for the plaster and steel sculpture, "Arched Couple," 1999, seen below in Related Works in Other Mediums.
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
1389.2008
This Work in Other Collections:
Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC

Bed and Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
1997-1998

Source
1995

NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Untitled (Bed). 1995
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Untitled (Bed)
Ink on paper
1995

Source
1997

NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Uncontrollable Torrent. 1997
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Uncontrollable Torrent
Gouache, ink, and pencil on paper
1997

Source
1997

Louise Bourgeois. Untitled. 1997
Untitled
Watercolor and pencil on paper
1997

First Version

Louise Bourgeois. Bed. 1997
Version 1 of 3, only state
1997

Second Version

Louise Bourgeois. Bed. 1997
Version 2 of 3, state I of IV, variant
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Bed. 1997
Version 2 of 3, state I of IV, variant
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Bed. 1997
Version 2 of 3, state II of IV
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Bed. 1997
Version 2 of 3, state II of IV, variant
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Bed. 1997
Version 2 of 3, state III of IV
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Bed. 1997
Version 2 of 3, state IV of IV, variant
1997
Published Louise Bourgeois. Bed. 1997
Version 2 of 3, state IV of IV
1997

Third Version

Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state I of XI, variant
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state I of XI, variant
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state II of XI
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state III of XI
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state IV of XI
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state V of XI
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state VI of XI, variant
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state VI of XI, variant
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state VII of XI
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state VIII of XI
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state IX of XI
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state X of XI, variant
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state X of XI, variant
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1997
Version 3 of 3, state X of XI, variant
1997
Published Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu. 1998
Version 3 of 3, state X of XI
1998
Published Louise Bourgeois. Le Lit Gros Édredon (with lips). 1997
Version 3 of 3, state XI of XI
1997