Eight in Bed

Cat. No. 224.3, variant 2

Eight in Bed

State/Variant:
Version 3 of 3, only state, variant
Date:
2000
Themes
Architecture, Figures, Objects
Techniques
Lithography
Support:
Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:
composition: 14 x 16 15/16" (35.6 x 43 cm); sheet: 21 3/16 x 23 1/16" (53.8 x 58.5 cm)
Signature:
Not signed
Publisher
unpublished
Printer
SOLO Impression
Edition:
4 known variant impressions of version 3, only state, outside the edition
Edition Information:
Proof before the editioning of version 3.
Impression:
Not numbered
Background:
"Eight in Bed" developed out of another composition with seven figures in a bed. That imagery dealt with a childhood memory of times when the artist and her two siblings, along with two cousins who lived with them, would join her parents in bed. According to Bourgeois's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, there was no specific symbolic meaning to the addition of thie eighth (and in some studies, ninth) figure; it was simply part of her further experimentation with the composition.
Curatorial Remarks:
The photocopy studies for this composition indicate that it derived from the Untitled composition, plate 5, from the illustrated book "Metamorfosis" (seen below in Related Works in the Catalogue). The two compositions could have been catalogued as Versions in one Evolving Composition Diagram. They were catalogued separately because Untitled, plate 5, is from an illustrated book, making it difficult to present the two compositions as one.
Description:
Lithograph
State Changes and Additions:
Matrices:
The progression of version 3 of this composition, as seen in the Evolving Composition Diagram below, involved 9 plates.
Plate 1: linear elements of the composition; printed in black.
Plate 2: overall shading of background; printed in yellow, blue, or gray.
Plate 3: shading of mattress; printed in yellow or red.
Plate 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9: colored elements of bed frame and figures; printed in red, pink, light blue, dark blue, yellow, and gray, respectively.

Print State Changes:
Plates 2 and 3 withheld.
Changes from version 2, in lithography: composition transferred to a new plate; most shading removed from figures; underwear added to all figures.
Other Remarks:
According to the artist's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, the subject of beds stems 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).

In the opinion of printer Felix Harlan, of Harlan & Weaver, Bourgeois regarded intaglio as primarily a black and white medium, even though she did a number of multiple plate color etchings. In this case, she may have considered lithography to be most appropriate for the colorful final version of the composition.
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
773.2008
This Work in Other Collections:
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Cambridge, MA
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Eight in Bed

1998-2000

Studies
Untitled (Study for Eight in Bed)
Untitled (Study for Eight in Bed)
Untitled (Study for Eight in Bed)
Untitled (Study for Eight in Bed)
Untitled (Study for Eight in Bed)
Untitled (Study for Eight in Bed)
Untitled (Study for Eight in Bed)
Untitled (Study for Eight in Bed)
First Version
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Second Version
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Third Version
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed
Eight in Bed

Related Works in the Catalogue

Untitled, plate 2 of 5, from the illustrated book, Metamorfosis
Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
Untitled, plate 5 of 5, from the illustrated book, and plate 5 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
Bed
Le Lit Gros Édredon (with lips)

Related Works in Other Mediums

Cell I
Red Room (Parents)
In and Out
Untitled
Seven in Bed
Seven in Bed
Seven in Bed
The Chorus Line
Arched Couple