Cat. No. 97.1

Hours of the Day, illustrated book cover

State/Variant:: Version 1 of 2
Date:: 2006
Illustrated Book:: Hours of the Day

Themes: Fabric Works, Words
Techniques: Digital
Support:: Fabric
Dimensions:: cover: 13 x 10 1/2" (33 x 26.7 cm)
Signature:: "LB" lower right front of cover, stitched in red thread. "Louise Bourgeois" lower center of colophon, black ink.
Publisher: Carolina Nitsch Editions , Lison Editions
Printer: Dyenamix
Edition:: 15; plus 3 A.P., 1 P.P., and a portfolio version with an edition of 7 with 2 A.P.
Impression:: "6/15" lower center of colophon, black ink, unknown hand.
Background:: Lison Editions is a name Bourgeois adopted when she published works herself, late in her life. "Lison" is a nickname she had as a child. The full list of her nicknames is: Lise, Lison, Lisette, Louison, Louisette.

According to Bourgeois's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, the cover pattern for "Hours of the Day" derives from a garment Bourgeois owned--a scarf or a blouse, while the change from light to dark is a digitally printed effect.
Curatorial Remarks:: The illustrated book version of "Hours of the Day" preceded the portfolio version. The portfolio is considerably larger than the illustrated book.

The cover images of the illustrated book and portfolio are similar, however, the image on the cover of the illustrated book continues onto its verso and the facing page (constituting the "endpapers").

The illustrated book and portfolio were created independently using separate digital files.
Description:: Digital print
Author Information:: The texts come from Bourgeois's daybooks, which she kept for each year up until the very last years of her life. She used them for appointments, and also annotated them with short texts and drawings.
MoMA Credit Line:: Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:: 332.2009.1
This Work in Other Collections:: Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Tate Modern, London