Cat. No. 510.1/IV, variant
The Obese Woman
- State/Variant:
- Version 1 of 2, state IV of VII, variant
- Date:
- 2001
- Alternate Title:
- The Smile
- Themes
- Figures, Objects
- Techniques
- Drypoint
- Support:
- Smooth, laid paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 12 x 9 15/16" (30.5 x 25.2 cm); sheet: 19 1/8 x 11" (48.5 x 28 cm)
- Signature:
- Not signed
- Publisher
- unpublished
- Printer
- Harlan & Weaver
- Edition:
- 2 known variant impressions of version 1, state IV
- Edition Information:
- Proof before the editioning of version 2, state IV.
According to the Louise Bourgeois Studio, the additional known variant impression of version 1, state IV, is also a variant, with red ink and white correction fluid additions. It is inscribed by the artist "To Rosamond and John - Love Louise Bourgeois" in red ink in the lower left margin. An image of that impression is not available. The inscription refers to the author and editor Rosamond Bernier (1916-2016) and her husband, art critic John Russell (1919-2008), who were close friends of Bourgeois. - Impression:
- Not numbered
- Curatorial Remarks:
- To create the editioned version of this composition, Bourgeois began with "The Obese Woman," which depicts a woman leaning on a column. She developed the image through a series of state changes before abandoning the idea of depicting a full figure. In the second version, "The Smile," only the top part of the composition was transferred to a new plate. Carbon transfers of the preexisting imagery were used to aid in the process of developing the reconfigured composition.
"The Smile" was editioned as the unbound frontispiece for the 2001 book "Louise Bourgeois: Destruction of the Father - Reconstruction of the Father, Schriften und Interviews, 1923-2000," seen below in Related Works in Other Mediums. Edited by Marie-Laure Bernadac and Hans-Ulrich Obrist, and published by Ammann Verlag, Zurich, the German reissue is an updated version of the 1998 book published by Violette, London. The 2001 book is a hardcover and comes in a slipcase. - Descriptive Title:
- Woman Leaning on a Column
- Description:
- Drypoint, with selective wiping, and red ink and white correction fluid additions
- Inscription:
- Verso: "2001 / Realist portrait of an obese woman / by / Louise Bourgeois" upper center sheet, blue ink, artist's hand.
- State Changes and Additions:
- Changes from version 1, state III, in drypoint: hair lengthened.
- MoMA Credit Line:
- Gift of the artist
- MoMA Accession Number:
- 1089.2008
Version 1 of 2, state IV of VII, variant
2001
The Obese Woman and The Smile
2001-2002
Source
2001
The Obese Woman
2001
The Obese Woman
2001
Medium: Ink and pencil on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 11 5/8 x 9" (29.5 x 22.9 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Version 1 of 2, state I of VII
2001
<i>The Obese Woman</i>
2001
Version 1 of 2, state II of VII
2001
<i>The Obese Woman</i>
2001
Version 1 of 2, state III of VII
2001
<i>The Obese Woman</i>
2001
Version 1 of 2, state IV of VII, variant
2001
<i>The Obese Woman</i>
2001
Version 1 of 2, state V of VII, variant
2001
<i>The Obese Woman</i>
2001
Version 1 of 2, state V of VII, variant
2001
<i>The Obese Woman</i>
2001
Version 1 of 2, state VI of VII
2001
<i>The Obese Woman</i>
2001
Version 1 of 2, state VII of VII
2001
<i>The Obese Woman</i>
2001
Version 1 of 2, state VII of VII, variant
2001
<i>The Obese Woman</i>
2001
Version 1 of 2, state VII of VII, variant
2002
<i>The Obese Woman</i>
2002
Version 2 of 2, state I of IV, variant
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Version 2 of 2, state I of IV, variant
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Version 2 of 2, state II of IV
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Version 2 of 2, state III of IV, variant
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Version 2 of 2, state III of IV, variant
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Version 2 of 2, state III of IV, variant
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Version 2 of 2, state III of IV, variant
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Version 2 of 2, state III of IV, variant
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Version 2 of 2, state III of IV, variant
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Version 2 of 2, state IV of IV
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Version 2 of 2, state IV of IV
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Related Works in the Catalogue
Quartet of the 4 Obese Singing Ladies
Only state
2001
<i>Quartet of the 4 Obese Singing Ladies</i>
2001
Embracing the Tree
State II of II
2000
<i>Embracing the Tree</i>
2000
Untitled, plate 6 of 6, from the portfolio, Together
State II of II
2005
Untitled, plate 6 of 6, from the portfolio,<i> Together</i>
2005
The Smile
Only state
2001
<i>The Smile</i>
2001
Untitled, no. 2 of 5, from the series, The Bad Girl
Only state
2008
Untitled, no. 2 of 5, from the series,<i> The Bad Girl</i>
2008
Related Works in Other Mediums
Louise Bourgeois: Destruction of the Father - Reconstruction of the Father, Schriften and Interviews, 1923-2000
2001
Louise Bourgeois: Destruction of the Father - Reconstruction of the Father, Schriften and Interviews, 1923-2000
2001
Medium: Book
Dimensions: overall: 9 1/2 x 7 x 1 1/2" (24.1 x 17.8 x 3.8 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Obésité / Maternity
2000
Obésité / Maternity
2000
Medium: Ink and pencil on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 12 x 9" (30.5 x 22.9 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Obese Woman
2002
Obese Woman
2002
Medium: Ink, pencil, and white correction fluid on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 9 1/2 x 8" (24.1 x 20.3 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Obese Bulimic Anorexic
2001
Obese Bulimic Anorexic
2001
Medium: Fabric, stainless steel, glass, wood, and lead
Dimensions: overall: 24 x 16 x 14 1/2" (61 x 40.6 x 36.8 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY