
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION
Cat. No. 553/IV
Lacs de Montagne
- State/Variant:
- State IV of XIII
- Date:
- 1993
- Alternate Title:
-
Mountain Ponds 1993; Convulsions
- Descriptive Title:
-
English translation: “Mountain Lakes”
- Themes:
- Nature
- Techniques:
- Engraving
- Description:
- Engraving
- Support:
- Paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 18 1/16 × 23 7/8" (45.9 × 60.6 cm); sheet: 21 7/8 × 30 1/4" (55.6 × 76.8 cm)
- Signature:
- "Louise Bourgeois" lower right margin, pencil.
- Inscription:
- "TEST PROOF" lower left margin, pencil, unknown hand; "DEC 31 93" lower right margin, pencil, unknown hand.
- Publisher:
- unpublished
- Printer:
- Harlan & Weaver, New York
- Edition:
- 6 known impressions of state IV, 4 with blue lakes and 2 without
- Impression:
- Not numbered
- Edition Information:
- Proof before the editioning of states XII and XIII. This composition was also issued as a published edition at state II.
Five of the known impressions of state IV are titled "Mountain Ponds 1993." One, without blue lakes, is titled "Mountain Lakes." - State Changes and Additions:
- Matrices:
The progression of this composition, as seen in the Evolving Composition Diagram below, involved 3 plates.
Plate 1: overall linear composition; printed in black.
Plate 2: fill in lakes, and later, larger cloud form; usually printed in blue, sometimes in red, pink, and gray.
Plate 3: fill in mountains and smaller cloud form; printed in blue and/or red.
Print State Changes:
Plate 1 printed in black.
Changes from state III, in engraving: detail lines in mountains further delineated; sun added. - Background:
- State XIII was published as a benefit for Chalcographie of the Musée du Louvre, Paris.
- Curatorial Remarks:
- The type of paper 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 an impression in MoMA's Collection. The sheet dimensions were provided by the Louise Bourgeois Studio.
- Other Remarks:
- According to Bourgeois's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, this composition depicts mountains in Switzerland and likely references the artist's memories of visits there in her youth, especially for skiing.
- Public Collection:
- Musée du Louvre, Paris
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY