Eight in Bed

Cat. No. 224.2/IV, variant

Eight in Bed

State/Variant:
Version 2 of 3, state IV of X, variant
Date:
1998
Themes
Architecture, Figures, Objects
Techniques
Drypoint, Engraving, Etching
Support:
Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:
plate: 11 7/8 x 16 3/4" (30.2 x 42.6 cm); sheet: 13 7/8 x 19" (35.3 x 48.3 cm)
Signature:
Not signed
Publisher
unpublished
Printer
Harlan & Weaver
Edition:
2 known variant impressions of version 2, state IV
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:
Etching, engraving, and drypoint, with red and blue watercolor, pencil, red crayon, and red, blue, and black ink additions
State Changes and Additions:
Matrices:
The progression of version 2 of this composition, as seen in the Evolving Composition Diagram below, involved 2 plates.
Plate 1: linear elements of composition; printed in black or red.
Plate 2: overall shading of background; printed in blue.

Print State Changes:
Plate 1 printed in red.
Changes from version 1, in etching and engraving: composition transferred to a new plate; figures refined overall.
Changes from version 2, state III, by burnishing: figures’ feet and several areas of shading removed.
Changes from version 2, state III, in drypoint: horizontal line added at the foot of the bed; figures’ feet reconfigured; shading and further detail added to several 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).
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
760.2008
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
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Eight in Bed
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Eight in Bed
Second Version
Eight in Bed
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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
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Eight in Bed
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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