Untitled, Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis

Cat. No. 496/II

Untitled, Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis

State/Variant:
State II of II
Date:
1997-1999
Themes
Architecture, Body Parts, Figures, Objects
Techniques
Aquatint, Drypoint, Etching
Support:
Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:
plate: 11 9/16 x 11 5/8" (29.4 x 29.6 cm); sheet: 16 7/16 x 16 1/8" (41.8 x 41 cm)
Signature:
"Louise Bourgeois" lower right margin, pencil.
Publisher
unpublished
Printer
Harlan & Weaver
Edition:
3 known impressions of state II, outside the editions
Edition Information:
Proof before the editioning of state II.

There are 3 known impressions of state II, outside the editions. Only this impression is illustrated; another in MoMA's Collection (Accession Number: 729.2008) is not illustrated, due to its similarity to the impression seen here.
Impression:
Not numbered
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).
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.

To develop this composition, the artist made a tracing of Untitled, plate 6 of 7, from the portfolio; it is designated as a study in the Evolving Composition Diagram below. According to Felix Harlan, of Harlan & Weaver, New York, tracings based on the artist's preexisting imagery were sometimes used as aids when developing compositions.
Descriptive Title:
Couple in a Bed
Description:
Drypoint, etching, and aquatint
Inscription:
"Trial / Proof" lower left margin, pencil, unknown hand.
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from state I, in drypoint: face added.
Other Remarks:
According to the artist's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, the beds seen throughout "Metamorfosis" stem 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).
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
730.2008
This Work in Other Collections:
Tate Modern, London
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis

1997-1999

Studies
Untitled (Study for Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis)
States
Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
Untitled, Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis

Portfolio

1999

Metamorfosis

Related Works in the Catalogue

Metamorfosis
Untitled, no. 5 of 8, from the untitled hologram series
Untitled, no. 6 of 8, from the untitled hologram series
Birth, plate 9 of 24, from the series, Self Portrait
Untitled, plate 6 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
Bed
Untitled
Eight in Bed
Le Lit Gros Édredon (with lips)

Related Works in Other Mediums

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