Louise Bourgeois. Embracing the Tree (2000)

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Louise Bourgeois. Embracing the Tree. 2000

IMAGE PERMISSIONS

Cat. No. 278/II

Embracing the Tree

State/Variant:: State II of II
Date:: 2000

Themes:: Figures, Nature
Techniques:: Drypoint
Description:: Drypoint, with selective wiping
Support:: Smooth, laid Hiromi Mingei paper
Dimensions:: plate: 11 13/16 x 9 15/16" (30 x 25.2 cm); sheet: 19 3/8 x 16" (49.2 x 40.7 cm)
Signature:: "Louise Bourgeois 2000." lower right margin, pencil.
Publisher:: Harlan & Weaver, New York
Printer:: Harlan & Weaver, New York
Edition:: 25 on paper; plus 7 A.P., 5 P.P., 2 H.C., 1 B.A.T., 1 T.P., and an edition of 6 on fabric
Impression:: "ap 6/7" lower left margin, pencil, unknown hand.
Edition Information:: There are 3 known variant impressions of state II, outside the two editions.
State Changes and Additions:: Changes from state I in drypoint: tree branches extended; hair extended; shoes shaded; hands further articulated; reinforced overall.
Changes from state I by burnishing: hair below left ear removed; shape of left shoe altered.
Background:: According to Bourgeois’s assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, the subject of this composition came from a ritual instigated by the artist’s friend, Paulo Herkenhoff, a Brazilian curator and critic, in the late 1990s. In celebration of Easter, Herkenhoff, Gorovoy, and Bourgeois went into her backyard on Good Friday and each kissed the ground. After a few years, it was difficult for the artist to get down to the ground so they modified the ritual and began to embrace a tree instead.
Curatorial Remarks:: In July 2000, "Interview," also known as "Andy Warhol’s Interview," commissioned seven artists to create work to be reproduced in the October 2000 issue of the magazine. The resulting portfolio, “Stop and Smell the Roses,” is described in the issue as “a reminder that awareness of life’s incredibleness makes each day a better one.” Bourgeois contributed "Embracing the Tree" state II, variant 3 seen in the Evolving Composition Diagram below. Cecily Brown, Pat Steir, Enzo Cucchi, Yoshitomo Nara, and the collaborative duo Tim Noble and Sue Webster also contributed work to the portfolio.
MoMA Credit Line:: Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:: 322.2002