Greetings: Laughing Monster, plate 1 of 9, from the portfolio, Quarantania

Cat. No. 533.1/VIII (reprint)

Greetings: Laughing Monster, plate 1 of 9, from the portfolio, Quarantania

State/Variant:
Version 1 of 2, state VIII of VIII
Date:
1946
Portfolio:
Quarantania
Alternate Title:
Season's Greetings
Themes
Body Parts, Faces & Portaits, Figures, Words
Techniques
Drypoint, Engraving, Etching
Support:
Smooth, wove Arches paper
Dimensions:
plate: 2 15/16 x 4 15/16" (7.5 x 12.5 cm); sheet: 18 5/8 x 12 15/16" (47 x 33 cm)
Signature:
"Louise Bourgeois" lower right margin, pencil.
Publisher
Galerie Lelong
Printer
Piero Crommelynck
Edition:
50; plus 10 A.P. (numbered I-X)
Edition Information:
Version 1, state V of this composition was also editioned as a relief halftone greeting card in three colors.
The colophon for the “Quarantania” portfolio states that “some [compositions] are individually titled, sometimes with a few variations.” It appears that Bourgeois occasionally inscribed titles or alternative titles while she was signing the prints.
Impression:
"EA III/X" lower left margin, pencil, unknown hand.
"EA III/X" lower center colophon, pencil, unknown hand.
Background:
Portfolio:
Since Galerie Lelong was exhibiting Bourgeois's sculpture, Jean Frémon, a gallery director, proposed undertaking a print project with her. It was decided to reprint plates executed earlier and still in Bourgeois's possession, because this work was unknown to the public. In 1990, after the plates had been stored for more than forty years, they were newly printed by Piero Crommelynck, and published for this portfolio. Only "Quarantania" (9), titled "Bosom Lady" in the 1940s, was reworked in 1990 by the artist.

The 1990 reprints differ in appearance from the 1940s impressions, due to corrosion of the plates and accidental scratching over time. Also, professional printing with uniform inking and wiping creates a darker plate tone. The prints were gathered in a portfolio to represent the work from the 1940s, with the title "Quarantania," deriving from the French "quarante," meaning "forty."

In preparing this project, proofs were also pulled from other old plates in the artist's possession. However, the poor condition of those plates made it impossible to achieve acceptable impressions (see "Youth," 1941-1944; "Laurel Easton," 1944; "Dame," 1948; and "The Burner," 1948). Proofs were also pulled from a 1970s and a 1980s plate. These were editioned and published as "Spirales," c. 1974, and "Femme Maison," 1984. Bourgeois chose a cover resembling that of "He Disappeared into Complete Silence," 1947 because she saw "Quarantania" as a continuation of that work.
Curatorial Remarks:
The colophon for the “Quarantania” portfolio states that the plates were engraved by Bourgeois at Stanley William Hayter’s Atelier 17 workshop in 1947. However, dates for the compositions vary and the fact that all were engraved and printed at Hayter’s workshop could not be confirmed. At this time, Bourgeois also worked on prints at home with a small press.
Former Cat. No.:
W & S 5
Description:
Soft ground etching, engraving, and drypoint
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from version 1, state VII, in engraving: all text in banner reconfigured.
Artist’s Remarks:
Flowing hair is a common motif in Bourgeois's work and is an indication of self-portraiture since she always wore her hair very long. It stands for beauty and strength in her work and somtimes also represents a figure's arms, as in this image. For Bourgeois this figure is not only a self-potrait but an angel: "Its body is sexless... it floats high above... it is free... it is not tied to anybody... this is a good spirit who celebrates a happy event." (Quote cited in Wye, Deborah and Carol Smith. "The Prints of Louise Bourgeois." New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1994, p. 38.)
Installation Remarks:
The 9 compositions that make up this portfolio can be exhibited together, in any order, or individually.
Other Remarks:
Portfolio:
Since Galerie Lelong was exhibiting Bourgeois's sculpture, Jean Frémon, a gallery director, proposed undertaking a print project with her. It was decided to reprint plates executed earlier and still in Bourgeois's possession, because this work was unknown to the public. In 1990, after the plates had been stored for more than forty years, they were newly printed by Piero Crommelynck, and published for this portfolio. Only "Quarantania" (9), titled "Bosom Lady" in the 1940s, was reworked in 1990 by the artist.

The 1990 reprints differ in appearance from the 1940s impressions, due to corrosion of the plates and accidental scratching over time. Also, professional printing with uniform inking and wiping creates a darker plate tone. The prints were gathered in a portfolio to represent the work from the 1940s, with the title "Quarantania," deriving from the French "quarante," meaning "forty."

In preparing this project, proofs were also pulled from other old plates in the artist's possession. However, the poor condition of those plates made it impossible to achieve acceptable impressions (see "Youth," 1941-1944; "Laurel Easton," 1944; "Dame," 1948; and "The Burner," 1948. Proofs were also pulled from a 1970s and a 1980s plate. These were editioned and published as "Spirales," c. 1974, and "Femme Maison," 1984. Bourgeois chose a cover resembling that of "He Disappeared into Complete Silence," 1947 because she saw "Quarantania" as a continuation of that work.
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
259.1992.1
This Work in Other Collections:
Bibliothéque Nationale de France, Paris
Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland
Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN (Impression no. 17/50)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Greetings: Laughing Monster , plate 1 of 9, from the portfolio, Quarantania

1946; reprinted and published in 1990

Source

1946

Joyeux Noel
First Version
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster, plate 1 of 9, from the portfolio, Quarantania
Second Version
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster
Greetings: Laughing Monster

Portfolio

1990

Quarantania

Related Works in the Catalogue

Le Grand Regard Greeting
Untitled
The Cross-Eyed Woman V
Pinus Sylvestris
Season's Greeting, plate 5 of 9, from the portfolio, Quarantania
He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 1)

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