Cat. No. 809, unique variant 1, in 832
Untitled, plate 8 of 9, from the illustrated book, Differentiate
- State/Variant:
- Only state, unique variant
- Date:
- 2007
- Illustrated Book:
- Differentiate
- Alternate Title:
- Incognito
- Themes
- Abstraction
- Techniques
- Etching
- Support:
- Paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 59 1/8 × 19 9/16" (150.1 × 49.7 cm); page (each): 59 1/8 × 19 13/16" (150.1 × 50.4 cm)
- Signature:
- "LB" left lower sheet verso of cover, stitched in black thread.
- Publisher
- Osiris
- Printer
- Wingate Studio
- Edition:
- Unique
- Edition Information:
- This is one of 8 unique variants outside the edition that incorporate this plate, printed alone or in combination with other plates in multi-panel works. When the plate is used alone, the work is included in the Evolving Composition Diagram. When it is printed with other plates, it is included in Related Works in the Catalogue.
See Evolving Composition Diagram:
Untitled, plate 8 of 9, from the illustrated book, "Differentiate"
"A Mirror of You"
Untitled, no. 2 of 5, from the series, "When Did This Happen?"
See Related Works in the Catalogue:
"Dizzy Spells"
Untitled, no. 2 of 3, from the series, "This Need"
"Time"
"Don't Swallow Me!"
"Euphoria"
About the "Incognito" edition:
Within the edition, sheet size varies slightly from impression to impression. There is 1 known impression of the only state, outside the edition. It is inscribed "first proof" in the lower left composition by the artist, and signed "Louise Bourgeois" in the lower right composition, both in pencil.
There are 2 known cancellation proofs, each with a large "X" drawn across the composition from each corner of the plate. - 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 with 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.
- Curatorial Remarks:
- The pagination of this illustrated book was determined by the Louise Bourgeois Studio and the publisher.
The paper type could not be documented because this work is not in MoMA's Collection and could not be examined in person. The plate dimensions are from the impression of "Incognito" in MoMA's Collection. The dimensions of the book were provided by the Louise Bourgeois Studio. - Description:
- Soft ground etching
- Inscription:
- "I want to / be loved for / myself. / Incognito" center page, pencil, artist's hand.
- Pagination:
- Pages 20 and 21 of 26.
Only state, unique variant
2007
Incognito
2007
Only state
2007
<i>Incognito</i>
2007
Only state, unique variant
2007
Untitled, plate 8 of 9, from the illustrated book,<i> Differentiate</i>
2007
Only state, unique variant
2007
<i>A Mirror of You</i>
2007
Only state, unique variant
2007
Untitled, no. 2 of 5, from the series, <i>When Did This Happen?</i>
2007
Illustrated Book
2007
Differentiate
2007
<i>Differentiate</i>
2007
Series
2007
When Did This Happen?
2007
<i>When Did This Happen?</i>
2007
Related Works in the Catalogue
Euphoria
Unique variant
2008
<i>Euphoria</i>
2008
Time
Unique variant
2007
<i>Time</i>
2007
Dizzy Spells
Unique variant
2007
<i>Dizzy Spells</i>
2007
Untitled, no. 2 of 3, from the series, This Need
Unique variant
2007
Untitled, no. 2 of 3, from the series,<i> This Need</i>
2007
Don't Swallow Me!
Unique variant
2008
<i>Don't Swallow Me!</i>
2008
The Prey of an Anxiety
Only state
2007
<i>The Prey of an Anxiety</i>
2007
Louise Bourgeois,
Differentiate,
New York, Osiris, 2007Bourgeois's entire text for this volume appears on the pages cited below.
Page 3:
Differentiate
Pages 6-7:
Differentiate the advantage of attacking or withdrawing
Differentiate the forbidden and the hidden
Page 10:
The Tightening Agony withstanding anything today to insure the future hanging in there
Pages 12-13:
Murder or suicide
Sadist or masochist
Pages 16-17:
The ransom of a secret
The talker who is secretive
Page 19:
Le droit or le devoir
Page 20:
I want to be loved for myself. Incognito
Page 23:
I am defined by what is not. I am not white I am not black neither red nor blue nor green nor yellow neither grape nor pear I am a mirror I am there I am there I am not there You want to know I am only your image
Page 25:
a book by Louise Bourgeois!!