Cat. No. 480.2/III
Bed
- State/Variant:
- Version 2 of 3, state III of IV
- Date:
- 1997
- Alternate Title:
- Bed #1; Bed I
- Themes
- Architecture, Body Parts, Objects
- Techniques
- Drypoint, Engraving, Etching
- Support:
- Smooth, wove Somerset paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 16 3/8 x 19 3/4" (41.6 x 50.1 cm); sheet: 20 11/16 x 23 13/16" (52.5 x 60.5 cm)
- Signature:
- Not signed
- Publisher
- unpublished
- Printer
- Harlan & Weaver
- Edition:
- 1 known impression of version 2, state III
- Edition Information:
- Proof before the editioning of version 2, state IV. This composition was also issued as published editions at version 3, state X and version 3, state XI.
- Impression:
- Not numbered
- Background:
- Version 2, state IV of this composition was published as a benefit for the Rivington House branch of Village Care of New York (previously Village Center for Care). Version 3, state XI of this composition was published as a benefit for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.
- Description:
- Soft ground etching, drypoint, and engraving, with red, blue and black ink additions
- State Changes and Additions:
- Changes from version 1, in soft ground etching: composition transferred to new plate by tracing photocopy of first source drawing onto copper plate.
Changes from version 1, in engraving: floorboards added and lines in bedspread refined.
Changes from version 1, in drypoint: bed frame shaded and composition reinforced overall.
Changes from version 2, state II, in drypoint and engraving: comforter further delineated, lips and shading under bedspread added, bed frame shaded, bed leg elongated.
Additions in red and blue ink: shading added to bed frame and under bedspread, anticipating version 2, state IV. - Artist’s Remarks:
- Inscribed on the verso of the source drawing: "Aug 20th Wardrobe Series / Les dessin de lit ne sont pas mal, mais des sacs de matelas seraient mieux, dessins de lit, the more, the better. Ce dessin n'est pas assez exact."
"Two things you count in one's erotic life: dinner table and bed. The table where your parents made you suffer. And the bed where you lie with your husband, where your children were born and you will die. Essentially, since they are about the same size, they are the same object." (Quote cited in Munro, Eleanor. "Originals: American Women Artists." New York: Simon and Schuster,1979, pp. 154-9.) - 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).
According to Wendy Williams of the Louise Bourgeois Studio, this composition was the source for the plaster and steel sculpture, "Arched Couple," 1999, seen below in Related Works in Other Mediums. - MoMA Credit Line:
- Gift of the artist
- MoMA Accession Number:
- 1390.2008
- This Work in Other Collections:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
Version 2 of 3, state III of IV
1997
Bed and Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu
1997-1998
Source
1995
Untitled (Bed)
1995
Untitled (Bed)
1995
Medium: Ink on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 9 x 11" (22.9 x 27.9 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Source
1997
Uncontrollable Torrent
1997
Uncontrollable Torrent
1997
Medium: Gouache, ink, and pencil on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 9 x 11 5/8" (22.9 x 29.5 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Source
1997
Untitled
1997
Untitled
1997
Medium: Watercolor and pencil on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 20 3/16 x 27 1/16" (51.3 x 68.7 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Version 1 of 3, only state
1997
<i>Bed</i>
1997
Version 2 of 3, state I of IV, variant
1997
<i>Bed</i>
1997
Version 2 of 3, state I of IV, variant
1997
<i>Bed</i>
1997
Version 2 of 3, state II of IV
1997
<i>Bed</i>
1997
Version 2 of 3, state II of IV, variant
1997
<i>Bed</i>
1997
Version 2 of 3, state III of IV
1997
<i>Bed</i>
1997
Version 2 of 3, state IV of IV, variant
1997
<i>Bed</i>
1997
Version 2 of 3, state IV of IV
1997
<i>Bed</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state I of XI, variant
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state I of XI, variant
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state II of XI
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state III of XI
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state IV of XI
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state V of XI
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state VI of XI, variant
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state VI of XI, variant
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state VII of XI
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state VIII of XI
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state IX of XI
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state X of XI, variant
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state X of XI, variant
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state X of XI, variant
1997
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1997
Version 3 of 3, state X of XI
1998
<i>Le Lit, Gros Édredon, Bleu</i>
1998
Version 3 of 3, state XI of XI
1997
<i>Le Lit Gros Édredon (with lips)</i>
1997
Related Works in the Catalogue
Untitled, plate 2 of 5, from the illustrated book, Metamorfosis
State IV of IV
1999
Untitled, plate 2 of 5, from the illustrated book,<i> Metamorfosis</i>
1999
Lips
State VI of VII
2003
<i>Lips</i>
2003
Birth, plate 9 of 24, from the series, Self Portrait
Only state
2009
<i>Birth</i>, plate 9 of 24, from the series,<i> Self Portrait</i>
2009
Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio, Metamorfosis
State II of II
1999
Untitled, plate 7 of 7, from the portfolio,<i> Metamorfosis</i>
1999
Untitled, plate 5 of 5, from the illustrated book, Metamorfosis
State X of X
1999
Untitled, plate 5 of 5, from the illustrated book,<i> Metamorfosis</i>
1999
Related Works in Other Mediums
Untitled
1938
Untitled
1938
Medium: Ink and pencil on tracing paper
Dimensions: sheet: 9 x 11 3/4" (22.9 x 29.8 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Red Night
1946-1948
Red Night
1946-1948
Medium: Oil on linen
Dimensions: canvas: 30 x 60" (76.2 x 152.4 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Cell I
1991
Cell I
1991
Medium: Painted wood, fabric, metal, and glass
Dimensions: overall: 83 x 96 x 108" (210.8 x 243.8 x 274.3 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Red Room (Parents)
1994
Red Room (Parents)
1994
Medium: Wood, metal, rubber, fabric, marble, glass, and mirror
Dimensions: overall: 97 1/2 x 168 x 167" (247.7 x 426.7 x 424.2 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
In and Out
1997
In and Out
1997
Medium: Welded steel and lead
Dimensions: overall: 17 1/8 x 32 1/2 x 24 1/8" (43.5 x 82.6 x 61.3 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Arched Couple
1999
Arched Couple
1999
Medium: Plaster and steel
Dimensions: overall: 20 × 72 × 28" (50.8 × 182.9 × 71.1 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY