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LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

Louise Bourgeois: Complete Books & Prints
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Cat. No. 438/II

Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series

State/Variant:
State II of V
Date:
1993
Alternate Title:
Spying
Descriptive Title:
Toilette
Themes:
Architecture, Figures, Objects
Techniques:
Drypoint
Description:
Drypoint
Support:
Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:
plate: 5 3/4 x 3 11/16" (14.6 x 9.3 cm); sheet: 13 7/8 x 9 3/4" (35.2 x 24.7 cm)
Signature:
Not signed
Publisher:
unpublished
Printer:
Harlan & Weaver, New York
Edition:
2 known impressions of state II
Impression:
Not numbered
Edition Information:
Proof before the editioning of state V.
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from state I, in drypoint: drawer added to table; figure's forearm articulated; window added; potted plant added to window sill; shadows of table legs added; lines reinforced overall.
Background:
Bourgeois was often inspired by the subjects of early drawings when creating works at much later dates. This 1994 portfolio is an example of a project based primarily on drawings from the 1940s and referring to her life in New York at that time. The exceptions are as follows: plate 1, based on a drawing from 1986 that references childbirth; plates 4 and 9, based on drawings from the 1940s but depicting memories of her childhood years in France; plate 11, most probably based on a drawing from the 1940s of a European hotel desk.
Artist’s Remarks:
While looking at state III of this composition prior to its inclusion in the portfolio "Autobiographical Series," Bourgeois recalled, "This is a girlhood memory... but it is only a partial recall... some things are missing. Where is the pail for emptying the water? And where is the table that the bowl could fit down in? We also used a big tub, with handles, on the floor.
But she is more interested in the pleasure element than in the cleaning element... this is about the beautiful hair, of course.... The little face looking in... he is not laughing at her... he is looking at her because she is beautiful. But he cannot pull a fast one on anybody... his face is registered there in the mirror!" (Quotes cited in Wye, Deborah and Carol Smith. "The Prints of Louise Bourgeois." New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1994, p. 233.)
Curatorial Remarks:
Of the 14 plates in "Autobiographical Series," Bourgeois titled plates 6 and 12. The untitled plates have been assigned descriptive titles for cataloguing purposes.

The alternate title "Spying" was given by the artist, as cited in Wye and Smith, The Prints of Louise Bourgeois, 1994, p. 233.
Former Cat. No.:
W & S 149
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
104.1994
This Work in Other Collections:
Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, Québec
Museu da Gravura Cidade de Curitiba, Brazil
Tate Modern, London

Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series
1993-1994

Source
1940

NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Untitled (recto). 1940
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Untitled (recto)
Ink on paper
1940

States

Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiograhpical Series. 1993
State I of V
1993
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series. 1993
State I of V, variant
1993
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series. 1993
State II of V
1993
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series. 1993
State II of V, variant
1993
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series. 1993
State III of V, variant
1993
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series. 1993
State III of V, variant
1993
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series. 1993
State IV of V
1993
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series. 1993
State IV of V, variant
1993
Published Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 9 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series. 1994
State V of V
1994

Portfolio
1994

Louise Bourgeois. Autobiographical Series. 1994
Autobiographical Series
1994
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