The Smell of the Feet

Cat. No. 57/II, variant 2

The Smell of the Feet

State/Variant:
State II of III, variant
Date:
1999
Themes
Body Parts, Faces & Portaits
Techniques
Drypoint
Support:
Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:
plate: 10 7/8 x 7 13/16" (27.6 x 19.8cm); sheet: 15 9/16 x 11" (39.6 x 28 cm)
Signature:
Not signed
Publisher
unpublished
Printer
Harlan & Weaver
Edition:
2 known variant impressions of state II
Edition Information:
Proof before the editioning of state III.
Impression:
Not numbered
Curatorial Remarks:
Publisher Harlan & Weaver groups the editioned state of this composition on paper with ten other drypoints of 1999, under the title, “11 Drypoints.” Each of the 11 compositions can be displayed individually. The full set is as follows:
“The Accident”
“The Angry Cat”
“Don’t Put Your Foot in Your Mouth”
“Fear”
“Feet (Socks)”
“Fences Are Obsolete”
“Madeleine”
“Mosquito”
“Mother and Child”
“Please Hang in There”
“The Smell of the Feet”
Description:
Drypoint, with black ink and white gouache additions
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from state I in drypoint: left contour of neck added.
Additions in black ink: star shape further delineated, anticipating state III; drypoint reinforced overall.
Additions in white gouache: star shape further delineated, anticipating state III.
Artist’s Remarks:
Inscribed on the verso of the source drawing: "The thrill of Victory and the agony of the feet or smell of the feet or the love of the feet / the love, or the smell of the feet gives them a high."
Other Remarks:
According to Bourgeois’s assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, this imagery relates to Marcel Proust and his references to memory, with the star in the head suggesting recall and imagination. Gorovoy also noted that as a child, Bourgeois helped her father put on his slippers and the smell of feet brought back those memories.
Bibliography:
Malbert, Roger, and Juliet Mitchell. "Louise Bourgeois: Autobiographical Prints." London: Hayward, 2016. (Catalogue accompanying the touring exhibition "Louise Bourgeois Prints: Autobiographical Series and 11 Drypoints".)
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
942.2008
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

The Smell of the Feet

1999-2000

Source

1999

The Smell of Feet
States
The Smell of the Feet
The Smell of the Feet
The Smell of the Feet
The Smell of the Feet
The Smell of the Feet
The Smell of the Feet
The Smell of the Feet

Related Works in the Catalogue

Feet (Socks)
Madeleine