Bed

Cat. No. 480.2/IV

Bed

State/Variant:
Version 2 of 3, state IV of IV
Date:
1997
Alternate Title:
Bed #1; Bed I
Themes
Architecture, Body Parts, Objects
Techniques
Drypoint, Engraving, Etching
Support:
Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:
plate: 16 3/8 x 19 3/4" (41.6 x 50.1 cm); sheet: 21 7/16 x 23 5/8" (54.5 x 60 cm)
Signature:
"Louise Bourgeois 1997" lower right margin, pencil.
Publisher
Village Care of New York
Printer
Harlan & Weaver , Simmelink/Sukimoto Editions
Edition:
100; plus 15 A.P., 5 P.P., 1 T.P.
Edition Information:
There is 1 known variant impression of version 2, state IV, outside the edition. In addition to the published edition at this state, this composition was also issued as an edition at version 3, states X and XI.
Impression:
"a.p. 9/15" lower left margin, pencil, unknown hand.
Background:
Village Care of New York (formerly known as the Village Center for Care), is a non-profit institution providing health and nursing services for those with chronic and disabling conditions or illnesses. Rivington House is a branch of Village Care which provides comprehensive and holistic residential care for those living with symptomatic HIV and AIDS. Bourgeois created the published edition of version 2 to benefit Rivington House.

Version 3, state XI of this composition was published as a benefit for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.
Curatorial Remarks:
Printers Harlan & Weaver worked with Bourgeois to develop the plate until the artist was satisfied with the composition and printing. The plate was then released to Doris Simmelink and Chris Sukimoto of Simmelink / Sukimoto Editions in Los Angeles, California, where they printed the impressions included in the edition."
Description:
Soft ground etching, drypoint, and engraving
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from version 1, in soft ground etching: composition transferred to new plate by tracing photocopy of first source drawing onto copper plate.
Changes from version 1, in engraving: floorboards added and lines in bedspread refined.
Changes from version 1, in drypoint: bed frame shaded and composition reinforced overall.
Changes from version 2, state III, in drypoint: shading added to bed frame and under bedspread; knobs added to bedframe.
Benefit Work:
For Village Care of New York, New York
Artist’s Remarks:
Inscribed on the verso of the source drawing: "Aug 20th Wardrobe Series / Les dessin de lit ne sont pas mal, mais des sacs de matelas seraient mieux, dessins de lit, the more, the better. Ce dessin n'est pas assez exact."

"Two things you count in one's erotic life: dinner table and bed. The table where your parents made you suffer. And the bed where you lie with your husband, where your children were born and you will die. Essentially, since they are about the same size, they are the same object." (Quote cited in Munro, Eleanor. "Originals: American Women Artists." New York: Simon and Schuster,1979, pp. 154-9.)
Other Remarks:
According to the artist's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, the subject of beds stems not only from their symbolic resonance for Bourgeois but also from her interest in their geometric and architectural forms. The bed motif is found in Bourgeois's drawings, sculptures, and installations, as well as in her prints (see Related Works in Other Mediums).

According to Wendy Williams of the Louise Bourgeois Studio, this composition was the source for the plaster and steel sculpture, "Arched Couple," 1999, seen below in Related Works in Other Mediums.
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
34.1998
This Work in Other Collections:
Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
Village Care of New York, New York
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Bed and Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu

1997-1998

Source

1995

Untitled (Bed)

Source

1997

Uncontrollable Torrent

Source

1997

Untitled
First Version
Bed
Second Version
Bed
Bed
Bed
Bed
Bed
Bed
Bed
Third Version
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
Le Lit Gros Édredon (with lips)

Related Works in the Catalogue

Untitled, plate 2 of 5, from the illustrated book, Metamorfosis
Lips
Birth, plate 9 of 24, from the series, Self Portrait
Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
Untitled, plate 5 of 5, from the illustrated book, Metamorfosis

Related Works in Other Mediums

Untitled
Red Night
Cell I
Red Room (Parents)
In and Out
Arched Couple