Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, Metamorfosis

Cat. No. 490a.2/II

Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, Metamorfosis

State/Variant:
Version 2 of 2, state II of II
Date:
1999
Illustrated Book:
Metamorfosis
Alternate Title:
Champfleurette; Bestiary: La Chatte
Themes
Animals & Insects
Techniques
Aquatint, Drypoint
Support:
Smooth, wove BFK Rives paper
Dimensions:
plate: 11 9/16 x 11 11/16" (29.4 x 29.7 cm); page: 13 x 12 15/16" (33 x 32.8 cm)
Signature:
"LB" right lower margin, pencil.
"Louise Bourgeois" lower middle colophon, pencil.
Publisher
Galerie Lelong
Printer
Atelier Tanguy Garric
Printer of Text
SAIG
Edition:
85; plus 20 A.P., 5 H.C., and a portfolio version with an edition of 40
Edition Information:
There is 1 known impression of version 2, state II, outside the editions, not in MoMA's Collection. It is not illustrated due to its similarity to the impressions seen here.

The illustrated books numbered 1/25-25/25 in the edition of 85 are accompanied by a portfolio of 7 prints (the 5 compositions represented in the book and 2 additional compositions). The remaining 60 illustrated books in the edition are numbered 26/85-85/85 and are not accompanied by portfolios. The A.P. illustrated books (A.P. I-X of XX) and the H.C. illustrated books (H.C. 1-5) are accompanied by the portfolio of 7 prints. In all, there are 40 illustrated books accompanied by portfolios.
Impression:
"EA III" lower center colophon, pencil, unknown hand.
Background:
“Metamorfosis” is a collaboration initiated by Maria Fluxà, a Spanish gallery owner and collector. Fluxà first encountered Bourgeois’s work at the 1982 MoMA retrospective and felt a particular emotional connection to the “Femme Maison.” She then began enthusiastically collecting Bourgeois’s work, which she displayed in her gallery, Lluc Fluxà, in Palma de Mallorca (Spain). Taking inspiration from Bourgeois's themes of memory, identity, and trauma, Fluxà also staged a performance at her gallery titled “Götterdämmerung” that dealt with her own upbringing.

In 1993, Fluxà met Bourgeois at the MoMA opening of a Joan Miró exhibition, introducing herself as an admirer and collector. She later visited the artist, which led to discussions about a possible collaboration between the two.

Bourgeois had a sympathetic response to Fluxà’s difficult relationship with her father, a problem she shared. After meeting over the next several years, she agreed to participate in a collaborative work that became the illustrated book entitled, "Metamorfosis." Here, Fluxà creates a fusion of words and imagery that conflates her own identity with that of the artist. Bourgeois allowed images of her work to contribute to this fusion, and also created five prints especially for the volume. The book was published by Galerie Lelong, Paris, in 1999. For a deluxe edition, the volume was accompanied by a portfolio with two additional prints, making a total of seven compositions created by Bourgeois in conjunction with this project.

In 2005, Fluxà and Dolors Caballero organized the exhibition and catalogue, "Louise Bourgeois: Repairs in the sky" at the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation, in Mallorca. In 2008, Fluxà and Caballero also organized "La Sage Femme: Louise Bourgeois," an exhibition and catalogue of Fluxà's collection of Bourgeois works, at Sala Espacio AV, in Murcia (Spain).

In the 1950s, when Bourgeois was living with her husband and children in an apartment on 18th Street in New York City, the family had two cats: Champfleurette and Tyger.
Curatorial Remarks:
Bourgeois worked with the printer Harlan & Weaver, New York, to develop the compositions in "Metamorfosis." The plates were then turned over to the printer Atelier Tanguy Garric, Paris, for editioning and publication by Galerie Lelong, Paris.
Descriptive Title:
Cat
Description:
Drypoint and aquatint
State Changes and Additions:
Change from version 1, in drypoint: image transferred to new plate.
Change from version 2, state I, in aquatint: tonal background added.
Pagination:
Plate: page 3 of folio 2.

Illustrated Book:
96 unnumbered pages in 24 folios (sheets folded once and comprising 4 pages). Folios numbered 2-24 (first folio unnumbered). Plates interspersed.
Housing:
Unbound. Publisher's clamshell box: red fabric with yellow embroidery.
Installation Remarks:
The prints in this illustrated book and the portfolio version can be shown as a group or individually.
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
22.2002.A1
This Work in Other Collections:
Tate Modern, London
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Untitled, plate 1, from the illustrated book and the portfolio, Metamorfosis

1997-1999

Source

1994

Champfleurette

Source

1997

Bestiary: La Chatte
First Version
Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, and plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, and plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
Second Version
Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, and plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, and plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
Untitled, plate 1 of 5, from the illustrated book, Metamorfosis
Untitled, plate 1 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis

Portfolio

1999

Metamorfosis

Illustrated Book

1999

Metamorfosis

Related Works in the Catalogue

Champfleurette, the White Cat
Self Portrait
Untitled
The Angry Cat
Untitled
Female from Male and Female

Related Works in Other Mediums

You Ask Me Too Much
Champfleurette
Untitled