The Geometry of Pleasure (#2)

Cat. No. 734

The Geometry of Pleasure (#2)

State/Variant:
Unique variant
Date:
2008
Themes
Abstraction, Nature
Techniques
Etching
Support:
Smooth, thick, wove paper (2 attached sheets)
Dimensions:
sheet (overall): 59 1/2 × 77 1/2" (151.1 × 196.9 cm)
Signature:
panel (b): "Louise Bourgeois" lower right comp., pencil; "LB" right lower comp., pencil.
Publisher
Osiris
Printer
Wingate Studio
Edition:
Unique
Edition Information:
This composition is part of a group of multi-panel works with extensive hand additions titled "The Geometry of Pleasure (#1) - (#5)." The other works in this group can be seen below in Related Works in the Catalogue.
Impression:
Not numbered
Background:
Benjamin Shiff, the director of the Osiris imprint, collaborated with Bourgeois in a highly experimental phase of printmaking that occupied the last years of her life, from 2005 to 2010. He first established a working relationship wih the artist in the 1990s, but the late period is particularly noteworthy for the innovative and complex large-scale projects that evolved at that time. Shiff made use of professional workshops for printing, but he oversaw the creation of the printing plates as Bourgeois worked on them in her home studio. He also provided assistance as she added extensive hand additions and texts, and as she combined individual compositions into multi-panel works and illustrated books.

A reproduction of "The Geometry of Pleasure (#2)" formed the cover of the following exhibition catalogue: Larratt-Smith, Philip. "Louise Bourgeois: Les Fleurs." Seoul: Kukje Gallery, 2010.
Curatorial Remarks:
Plate dimensions are not given due to partial inking. For full plate dimensions, see the respective editioned impressions.
Description:
panel (a): Soft ground etching, with red and purple watercolor, white gouache, and pencil additions
panel (b): Soft ground etching, with red and purple watercolor, white gouache, and pencil additions
State Changes and Additions:
Matrices:
This 2-panel composition is made up of plates that are used in other compositions, but which are partially inked here. These plates, fully inked, were issued in editions as 2 separate compositions, which are noted below and can be seen in Related Works in the Catalogue.

panel (a): plate from "Opening Up."
For this panel, only minor areas of the plate were inked. The plate was printed twice, once diagonally from the lower left to upper right sheet, and once vertically from the upper right to lower right sheet.

panel (b): plate from "Les Fleurs."
For this panel, the plate was partially inked.
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

The Geometry of Pleasure (#2)

2008

Unique Variants
The Geometry of Pleasure (#2)

Related Works in the Catalogue

Untitled, plate 8 of 15, from the series, Nature Study
Untitled, plate 4 of 10, from the illustrated book, Homely Girl, A Life, volume I
The Geometry of Pleasure (#3)
Opening Up
The Geometry of Pleasure (#5)
I Do
The Geometry of Pleasure (#4)
The Geometry of Pleasure (#1)
Les Fleurs
Les Fleurs

Related Works in Other Mediums

Les Fleurs