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LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

Louise Bourgeois: Complete Books & Prints
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Cat. No. 490.2/II

Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, and plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis

State/Variant:
Version 2 of 2, state II of II
Date:
1997
Alternate Title:
Champfleurette; Bestiary: La Chatte
Descriptive Title:
Cat
Themes:
Animals & Insects
Techniques:
Aquatint, Drypoint
Description:
Drypoint and aquatint
Support:
Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:
plate: 11 5/8 x 11 5/8" (29.5 x 29.5 cm); sheet: 16 5/16 x 16 1/8" (41.5 x 41 cm)
Signature:
"Louise Bourgeois 97" lower right margin, pencil.
Inscription:
"Trial / Proof" lower left margin, pencil, unknown hand.
Publisher:
unpublished
Printer:
Harlan & Weaver, New York
Edition:
2 known impressions of version 2, state II, outside the editions
Edition Information:
Proof before the editioning of version 2, state II.

The additional known impression of version 2, state II, outside the editions, is not in MoMA's Collection. It is not illustrated due to its similarity to the impressions seen here.
State Changes and Additions:
Change from version 1, in drypoint: image transferred to new plate.
Change from version 2, state I, in aquatint: tonal background added.
Background:
“Metamorfosis” is a collaboration initiated by Maria Fluxà, a Spanish gallery owner and collector. Fluxà first encountered Bourgeois’s work at the 1982 MoMA retrospective and felt a particular emotional connection to the “Femme Maison.” She then began enthusiastically collecting Bourgeois’s work, which she displayed in her gallery, Lluc Fluxà, in Palma de Mallorca (Spain). Taking inspiration from Bourgeois's themes of memory, identity, and trauma, Fluxà also staged a performance at her gallery titled “Götterdämmerung” that dealt with her own upbringing.

In 1993, Fluxà met Bourgeois at the MoMA opening of a Joan Miró exhibition, introducing herself as an admirer and collector. She later visited the artist, which led to discussions about a possible collaboration between the two.

Bourgeois had a sympathetic response to Fluxà’s difficult relationship with her father, a problem she shared. After meeting over the next several years, she agreed to participate in a collaborative work that became the illustrated book entitled, "Metamorfosis." Here, Fluxà creates a fusion of words and imagery that conflates her own identity with that of the artist. Bourgeois allowed images of her work to contribute to this fusion, and also created five prints especially for the volume. The book was published by Galerie Lelong, Paris, in 1999. For a deluxe edition, the volume was accompanied by a portfolio with two additional prints, making a total of seven compositions created by Bourgeois in conjunction with this project.

In 2005, Fluxà and Dolors Caballero organized the exhibition and catalogue, "Louise Bourgeois: Repairs in the sky" at the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation, in Mallorca. In 2008, Fluxà and Caballero also organized "La Sage Femme: Louise Bourgeois," an exhibition and catalogue of Fluxà's collection of Bourgeois works, at Sala Espacio AV, in Murcia (Spain).

In the 1950s, when Bourgeois was living with her husband and children in an apartment on 18th Street in New York City, the family had two cats: Champfleurette and Tyger.
Curatorial Remarks:
Bourgeois worked with the printer Harlan & Weaver, New York, to develop the compositions in "Metamorfosis." The plates were then turned over to the printer Atelier Tanguy Garric, Paris, for editioning and publication by Galerie Lelong, Paris.
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
702.2008
This Work in Other Collections:
Tate Modern, London

Untitled, plate 1, from the illustrated book and the portfolio, Metamorfosis
1997-1999

Source
1994

NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Champfleurette. 1994
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Champfleurette
Ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on paper
1994

Source
1997

NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Louise Bourgeois. Bestiary: La Chatte. 1997
NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION Bestiary: La Chatte
Ink, pencil, and color pencil on music paper
1997

First Version

Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, and plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis. 1997
Version 1 of 2, only state
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, and plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis. 1997
Version 1 of 2, only state, variant
1997

Second Version

Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, and plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis. 1997
Version 2 of 2, state I of II
1997
Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, and plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis. 1997
Version 2 of 2, state II of II
1997
Published Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, Metamorfosis. 1999
Version 2 of 2, state II of II
1999
Published Louise Bourgeois. Untitled, plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis. 1999
Version 2 of 2, state II of II
1999

Illustrated Book
1999

Louise Bourgeois. Metamorfosis. 1999
Metamorfosis
1999
More About This Work

Portfolio
1999

Louise Bourgeois. Metamorfosis. 1999
Metamorfosis
1999
More About This Work