
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION
Cat. No. 506.1/II, variant 3
Female from Male and Female
- State/Variant:
- Version 1 of 3, state II of VII, variant
- Date:
- 2004
- Themes:
- Animals & Insects
- Techniques:
- Drypoint
- Description:
- Drypoint, with red ink additions
- Support:
- Paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 13 7/8 x 9 15/16" (35.2 x 25.3 cm); sheet: 15 1/4 x 11 1/8" (38.7 x 28.3 cm)
- Signature:
- "LB" lower right comp., pencil.
- Inscription:
- Verso: "ready to fight, ready to fight"
- Publisher:
- unpublished
- Printer:
- Harlan & Weaver, New York
- Edition:
- 6 known impressions of version 1, state II
- Impression:
- Not numbered
- Edition Information:
- Proof before the editioning of Diptych 6, seen below in the Evolving Composition Diagram and comprising: left side (a): version 1, state VII, and right side (b): version 2, state VIII. This composition was also issued as a published edition at version 3, state II, titled "Le Chat."
The fifth and sixth known impressions of version 1, state II, are seen below in the Evolving Composition Diagram as the left sides (a) of Diptychs 3 and 4. - State Changes and Additions:
- Changes from version 1, state I, by burnishing: cat’s right rear leg and tail partially removed.
Changes from version 1, state I, in drypoint: cat’s right rear leg and tail reconfigured with exposed anus; further delineation of fur on cat’s body; mammary glands delineated; composition reinforced overall.
(Version 1, state III, exists only as the left side (a) of Diptych 2 and Diptych 5.) - Curatorial Remarks:
- The type of paper and plate dimensions of this impression could not be documented because this impression is not in MoMA's Collection and could not be examined in person. The plate dimensions are from the published impression on paper in MoMA’s Collection. The sheet dimensions were provided by the Louise Bourgeois Studio.
Although the development of the Male and Female diptych has been divided into first and second versions for clarity, Bourgeois worked on both plates concurrently. - Other Remarks:
- According to printer Felix Harlan, the third, smaller version in the Evolving Composition Diagram was initially created as a test plate. Aquatint was being considered to add shading to the male cat. Ultimately, Bourgeois decided against aquatint for the shading, but she liked the compositional fragment on the test plate. She added the contour of the cat's body and editioned this version as "Le Chat" on handmade paper.
- Public Collection:
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY