Cat. No. 542.2/II, variant 4
Who, Where, When, Why, What
- State/Variant:
- Version 2 of 2, state II of VIII, variant
- Date:
- 1999
- Themes
- Architecture, Words
- Techniques
- Drypoint
- Support:
- Smooth, wove paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 11 7/8 x 9 13/16" (30.1 x 25 cm); sheet: 17 x 14" (43.2 x 35.5 cm)
- Signature:
- Not signed
- Publisher
- unpublished
- Printer
- Harlan & Weaver
- Edition:
- 4 known variant impressions of version 2, state II
- Edition Information:
- Not issued as a published edition at any state.
- Impression:
- Not numbered
- Background:
- In August of 1999, the Dalai Lama spoke at several well-attended events in New York City. Bourgeois's son, Jean-Louis, requested that his mother execute a benefit print to raise money for the Dalai Lama’s cause about a month prior to the speaking engagements. Although Bourgeois created this composition, the benefit project did not come to fruition and this print was never published.
- Curatorial Remarks:
- A variant impression of version 2, state IV was sold at Phillips, New York, “Editions” auction on November 23, 2008, as lot 90. The description lists a "numbered edition of 25 and 7 artist's proofs, published by Harlan & Weaver, New York." According to Felix Harlan of Harlan & Weaver, this composition was never published.
- Description:
- Drypoint, with blue and red ink additions
- State Changes and Additions:
- Matrices:
The progression of version 2, as seen in the Evolving Composition Diagram below, involved 3 plates.
Plate 1: contours of composition and shading of capital W’s, in drypoint; printed in red or black.
Plate 2: shading of house borders and segments of smoke, in aquatint; printed in red or black.
Plate 3: smoke spiral, reconfigured text, and contours of capital W’s in soft ground etching; printed in red or black.
State Changes:
Plate 1 printed in red.
Changes from version 1: composition reconfigured with text in boxes within a house shape, in drypoint.
Changes from version 2, state I, in drypoint: billowing smoke and door further delineated, capital W’s shaded, and text reinforced. - MoMA Credit Line:
- Gift of the artist
- MoMA Accession Number:
- 892.2008
Version 2 of 2, state II of VIII, variant
1999
Who, Where, When, Why, What
1999-2008
Source
1999
Who Where When Why What
1999
Who Where When Why What
1999
Medium: Ink, pencil, and gouache on music paper
Dimensions: sheet: 10 1/4 x 8 1/2" (26 x 21.6 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Related Works in the Catalogue
Related Works in Other Mediums
Who, Where, When, Why, What
1999
Who, Where, When, Why, What
1999
Medium: Test printing of distressed plate, with hand additions
Dimensions: sheet: 11 x 15 3/8" (28 x 39 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Spider Trees
1997
Spider Trees
1997
Medium: Ink on music paper
Dimensions: sheet: 8 1/8 x 11" (20.6 x 27.9 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Post Partum Depression of the Mother
1999
Post Partum Depression of the Mother
1999
Medium: Crayon, pencil, and correction fluid in paper
Dimensions: sheet: 9 x 12" (22.9 x 30.5 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
The Five Magic Words
2002
The Five Magic Words
2002
Medium: Ink on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 10 x 10" (25.4 x 25.4 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY