Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series

Cat. No. 430/III

Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series

State/Variant:
State III of III
Date:
1994
Portfolio:
Autobiographical Series
Themes
Motherhood & Family, Objects
Techniques
Aquatint, Drypoint
Support:
Smooth, wove Somerset paper
Dimensions:
plate: 13 15/16 x 9 15/16" (35.4 x 25.2 cm); sheet: 22 7/16 x 15 1/16" (57 x 38.3 cm)
Signature:
"LB" lower right margin, pencil.
Publisher
Peter Blum Edition
Printer
Harlan & Weaver
Edition:
35; plus 10 H.C.
Edition Information:
There is 1 known impression of state III, outside the edition, in MoMA's Collection (Accession Number: 619.2008). It is not illustrated, due to its similiarity to the impression seen here.
Impression:
"III/X" lower left margin, pencil, unknown hand.
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.
Curatorial Remarks:
In addition to the source drawings, Bourgeois used two tracings and a photocopy—designated as studies—to develop this composition. See the Evolving Composition Diagram below.

Of the 14 plates in "Autobiographical Series," Bourgeois titled plates 6 and 12. The untitled plates have been assigned descriptive titles for cataloguing purposes.
Descriptive Title:
Scissors
Description:
Drypoint and aquatint
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from state II, in drypoint: line added to small scissors.
Artist’s Remarks:
Inscribed on a source drawing, 1986: "Ma mere et moi—Jean only [strikethrough] blames only someone who loves me unconditionaly [sic]—any one else would kick. The unconditionality of my mother's is essential to me. The literal repulses me."

Written on a loose sheet, c. 1986:
"My interest in pruning shears that cut the
too much, the refuse, the rejects, the too muches.

Alain refused to be born, to get out, to be in business
for himself, to be separated, to be independent—
The umbilical cord cutteress
They cut me, separated me, I am going to cut
everything around me, absolutely everything—I want the
monopoly of cutting, the trees, at 345, all
the cutters
I am the cutter who cuts everything.
I cut the books, the stones, the wood of the trees
I cut them up, I cut them short—The
Passive has become active forever,
cut the arms and the legs, cut their wings [underlined]
who is culpable? who carried out the slicing
curse the cutter death to the cutter" (The Easton Foundation: LB-0050)

About a source drawing, 1986: "This should be titled, 'The Umbilical Cord,' the cord that ties the little one to the big one.
As you see, it is a weapon. This is a cutting instrument, but if you don't want to see that, you can say, 'No, it's not a cutting instrument; it is a toy.' It is a game between what is real and what is a toy.
Well, I thought wrongly that I could frighten people. For instance, if I have a terrific tantrum, I think wrongly that people are going to be impressed, that I am going to frighten them. They are not afraid at all. They laugh, and they say, 'Louise, keep still.' So they cut you down to size." (Quote cited in Bourgeois, Louise and Lawrence Rinder. "Louise Bourgeois Drawings and Observations." Berkeley: University Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive University of California, Berkeley; Boston: Bulfinch Press, 1995, p. 139.)
Installation Remarks:
The prints in this portfolio can be shown as a group or individually. There is no required sequence.
Other Remarks:
According to the artist's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, Bourgeois traced an actual pair of scissors to develop this composition. She also used tracings of common household objects in 2006 to develop the print series, “Lullaby.”
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:
74.1997.1
This Work in Other Collections:
Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland
Museu da Gravura Cidade de Curitiba, Brazil
Tate Modern, London
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series

1993-1994

Source

1986

Untitled

Source

1986

Untitled
Studies
Untitled (Study for Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series)
Untitled (Study for Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series)
Untitled (Study for Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series)
States
Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series
Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series
Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series
Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series
Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series

Portfolio

1994

Autobiographical Series

Related Works in the Catalogue

The Cross-Eyed Woman Giving Birth
Dagger Child
Lullaby
Umbilical Cord

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Untitled
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Spit or Star
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