Cat. No. 510.1/VI
The Obese Woman
- State/Variant:
- Version 1 of 2, state VI of VII
- Date:
- 2001
- Alternate Title:
- The Smile
- Themes
- Figures, Objects
- Techniques
- Drypoint
- Support:
- Smooth, wove paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 11 7/8 x 9 15/16" (30.2 x 25.3 cm); sheet: 15 13/16 x 14" (40.2 x 35.5 cm)
- Signature:
- Not signed
- Publisher
- unpublished
- Printer
- Harlan & Weaver
- Edition:
- 1 known impression of version 1, state VI
- Edition Information:
- Proof before the editioning of version 2, state IV.
- 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 black ink additions
- State Changes and Additions:
- Changes from version 1, state V, in drypoint: column's base reconfigured.
- MoMA Credit Line:
- Gift of the artist
- MoMA Accession Number:
- 1092.2008
Version 1 of 2, state VI of VII
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
Related Works in the Catalogue
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