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LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

Louise Bourgeois: Complete Books & Prints
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Cat. No. 764, part A

Are You in Orbit?

State/Variant:
Partial plate, only state
Date:
2008
Themes:
Abstraction, Nature
Techniques:
Etching
Description:
Soft ground etching
Support:
Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:
plate (part A only): 60 5/16 × 18 7/8" (153.2 × 47.9 cm); sheet: 60 11/16 x 19 15/16" (154.1 x 50.6 cm)
Signature:
"LB" lower right comp., pencil.
Inscription:
"1st proof" lower left comp., pencil, artist's hand.
Publisher:
unpublished
Printer:
Wingate Studio, Hinsdale, NH
Edition:
1 known impression of partial plate, part A
Impression:
Not numbered
Edition Information:
The composition "Are You in Orbit?" was made on one plate in two vertical parts (A and B); this impression represents part A.

The Evolving Composition Diagram below includes impressions of parts A and B printed separately (called partial plate impressions), as well as impressions of the two parts printed side by side in different layouts. The full compositions are organized into three versions according to plate layout. There were no state changes to the plate from version to version.

In the first version, the layout shows the tendrils pointing out toward the edges of the sheet. In the second version, the layout shows the tendrils pointed in toward the center of the sheet.

There are unique variants of both versions, all with extensive hand additions. The third version is a multi-panel work that combines both versions of the composition.

See Evolving Composition Diagram:
First version, unique variant: "Are You in Orbit?"
Second version, unique variant: "Le Coeur Est Là" and "Étoile (#1)"
Third Version: Untitled, no. 5 of 5, from the series, "When Did This Happen?"

There are two known cancellation proofs of version 1, each with a large "X" drawn across the composition from each corner of the plate.
Background:
Benjamin Shiff, the director of the Osiris imprint, collaborated with Bourgeois in a highly experimental phase of printmaking that occupied the last years of her life, from 2005 to 2010. He first established a working relationship with the artist in the 1990s, but the late period is particularly noteworthy for the innovative and complex large-scale projects that evolved at that time. Shiff made use of professional workshops for printing, but he oversaw the creation of the printing plates as Bourgeois worked on them in her home studio. He also provided assistance as she added extensive hand additions and texts, and as she combined individual compositions into multi-panel works and illustrated books.
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
95.2012

Are You in Orbit?
2007-2008

Partial Plate Impressions

Louise Bourgeois. Are You in Orbit? 2008
Are You in Orbit?
Partial plate, only state
2008
Louise Bourgeois. Are You in Orbit? 2008
Are You in Orbit?
Partial plate, only state
2008

First Version

NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Are You in Orbit? (#1). 2008
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Are You in Orbit? (#1)
Version 1 of 3, only state, variant
2008
Published Louise Bourgeois. Are You in Orbit? (#1). 2008
Are You in Orbit? (#1)
Version 1 of 3, only state
2008

First Version, Unique Variants

Published NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Are You in Orbit? 2008
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Are You in Orbit?
Version 1 of 3, only state, unique variant
2008

Second Version

Published Louise Bourgeois. Are You in Orbit? (#2). 2008
Are You in Orbit? (#2)
Version 2 of 3, only state
2008
Published NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Are You in Orbit? (#2). 2008
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Are You in Orbit? (#2)
Version 2 of 3, only state
2008

Second Version, Unique Variants

Published NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Le Coeur Est Là. 2008
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Le Coeur Est Là
Version 2 of 3, only state, unique variant
2008
Published NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Étoile (#1). 2008
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Étoile (#1)
Version 2 of 3, only state, unique variant
2008

Third Version

Published NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, no. 5 of 5, from the series, When Did This Happen? 2007
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Untitled, no. 5 of 5, from the series, When Did This Happen?
Version 3 of 3, only state, unique variant
2007

Series
2007

NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. When Did This Happen? 2007
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION When Did This Happen?
2007
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