Cat. No. 278/II, variant 3
Embracing the Tree
- State/Variant:
- State II of II, variant
- Date:
- 2000
- Themes
- Figures, Nature
- Techniques
- Drypoint
- Support:
- Paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 12 x 10" (30.5 x 25.4 cm); sheet: 15 1/2 x 11 1/4" (39.4 x 28.6 cm)
- Signature:
- "LB" lower right margin, blue ink.
- Publisher
- unpublished
- Printer
- Harlan & Weaver
- Edition:
- 3 known variant impressions of state II, outside the editions on paper and fabric
- Impression:
- Not numbered
- Background:
- According to Bourgeois’s assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, the subject of this composition came from a ritual instigated by the artist’s friend, Paulo Herkenhoff, a Brazilian curator and critic, in the late 1990s. In celebration of Easter, Herkenhoff, Gorovoy, and Bourgeois went into her backyard on Good Friday and each kissed the ground. After a few years, it was difficult for the artist to get down to the ground so they modified the ritual and began to embrace a tree instead.
- Curatorial Remarks:
- The plate dimensions of this impression could not be documented because this work is not in MoMA's collection and could not be examined in person. The dimensions given were provided by the publisher, Harlan & Weaver, New York.
In July 2000, "Interview," also known as "Andy Warhol’s Interview," commissioned seven artists to create work to be reproduced in the October 2000 issue of the magazine. The resulting portfolio, “Stop and Smell the Roses,” is described in the issue as “a reminder that awareness of life’s incredibleness makes each day a better one.” Bourgeois contributed this impression of "Embracing the Tree." Cecily Brown, Pat Steir, Enzo Cucchi, Yoshitomo Nara, and the collaborative duo Tim Noble and Sue Webster also contributed work to the portfolio. - Description:
- Drypoint, with red and blue watercolor additions
- State Changes and Additions:
- Changes from state I in drypoint: tree branches extended; hair extended; shoes shaded; hands further articulated; reinforced overall.
Changes from state I by burnishing: hair below left ear removed; shape of left shoe altered.
State II of II, variant
2000
Embracing the Tree
2000
Source
2000
Embracing of the Tree
2000
Embracing of the Tree
2000
Medium: Pencil, charcoal, and ink on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 11 7/8 x 9" (30.2 x 22.9 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Source
2000
Embracing the Tree
2000
Embracing the Tree
2000
Medium: Ink and pencil on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 11 x 8 1/2" (27.9 x 21.6 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
State I of II
2000
<i>Embracing the Tree</i>
2000
State II of II, variant
2000
<i>Embracing the Tree</i>
2000
State II of II, variant
2000
<i>Embracing the Tree</i>
2000
State II of II, variant
2000
<i>Embracing the Tree</i>
2000
State II of II
2000
<i>Embracing the Tree</i>
2000
State II of II
2000
<i>Embracing the Tree</i>
2000
State II of II
2000
<i>Embracing the Tree</i>
2000
State II of II
2000
<i>Embracing the Tree</i>
2000
Related Works in the Catalogue
Embracing the Tree II
State IV of IV
2003
<i>Embracing the Tree II</i>
2003
Untitled (Three Trees), from the editioned series of portfolios, Les Arbres (1-6)
State IV of V
2004
Untitled (Three Trees), from the editioned series of portfolios, <i>Les Arbres</i> (1-6)
2004
Untitled (Wide Tree)
Version 2 of 2, state II of IV
2004-2005
Untitled (Wide Tree)
2004-2005
Untitled, plate 4 of 9, from the portfolio, Topiary: The Art of Improving Nature
State II of II
1998
Untitled, plate 4 of 9, from the portfolio, <i>Topiary: The Art of Improving Nature</i>
1998
Related Works in Other Mediums
Embracing the Tree
2001
Embracing the Tree
2001
Medium: Steel, fabric, and beads
Dimensions: overall: 32 x 23 x 20" (81.3 x 58.4 x 50.8 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY