Untitled, plate 2 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series

Cat. No. 431/II

Untitled, plate 2 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series

State/Variant:
State II of III
Date:
1993
Themes
Figures, Motherhood & Family
Techniques
Drypoint
Support:
Smooth, wove Somerset paper
Dimensions:
plate: 9 5/16 x 7 3/16" (23.6 x 18.3 cm); sheet: 22 7/16 x 14 5/8" (57 x 37.2 cm)
Signature:
Not signed
Publisher
unpublished
Printer
Harlan & Weaver
Edition:
1 known impression of state II
Edition Information:
Proof before the editioning of state III.
Impression:
Not numbered
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:
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:
Birth
Description:
Drypoint, with brown wash and black crayon additions
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from state I, in drypoint: mother’s hair thickened; mother’s hands, feet, and breasts further delineated; baby’s eyelashes and ear further delineated.
Additions in brown wash: tonal shading added to mother’s hair, anticipating state III.
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
603.1996
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 2 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series

1993-1994

Source

1941

Untitled
States
Untitled, plate 2 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series
Untitled, plate 2 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series
Untitled, plate 2 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series

Portfolio

1994

Autobiographical Series

Related Works in the Catalogue

The Cross-Eyed Woman Giving Birth
Birth, plate 12 of 24, from the series, Self Portrait

Related Works in Other Mediums

The Arrival (detail)
Untitled (Woman Giving Birth)
The Birth