Pierre

Cat. No. 426/III, variant 3

Pierre

State/Variant:
State III of VI, variant
Date:
1939
Alternate Title:
Birthday
Themes
Figures, Motherhood & Family, Objects
Techniques
Drypoint, Etching, Other Techniques
Support:
Paper
Dimensions:
plate: 9 15/16 × 6 15/16" (25.2 × 17.7 cm); sheet: 11 5/8 × 8 7/8" (29.5 × 22.5 cm)
Signature:
"L. Bourgeois" lower right margin, pencil, artist's hand.
Publisher
unpublished
Printer
Louise Bourgeois
Edition:
3 known variant impressions of state III
Edition Information:
Not issued as a published edition at any state.

Although this composition was not published at any state, two impressions are numbered 4/10, and one is numbered 5/10.
Impression:
"4/10" lower left margin, pencil, artist's hand.
Background:
Bourgeois had two siblings: Pierre, her younger brother, and Henriette, her older sister.
Curatorial Remarks:
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 an impression of state III in MoMA's Collection.
Description:
Soft ground etching, drypoint, and monotype
Inscription:
"Birthday" lower left margin, pencil, artist's hand.
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from state II, in drypoint: left figure’s upper arm and shoulder further delineated; hatch marks added to right figure’s breast; fringe added to right figure’s sleeve.
Changes from state II, in monotype: texture added to basket.
Artist’s Remarks:
"This is Pierre, my brother. He was always on my side. Here, I am a beautiful girl... look at the hair... but I have to be constantly told by my closest friend, my brother. That is the function of my brother... he has this role and he loves it... he is an unpaid and constant admirer. But this was not a luxury for me... this was a necessity. It is the role played today by John, the homeless man on my block," Bourgeois said in 1994. "He brings little presents to please me. I don't fall for it, but it is still nice. Here, Pierre brings me something to please me and I love it... it makes me feel good. Louise can do anything... I need my friends close by, saying, 'You can do no wrong.'" (Quote cited in Wye, Deborah and Carol Smith. "The Prints of Louise Bourgeois." New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1994, p. 54.)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Pierre

1939

States
Pierre
Pierre
Pierre
Pierre
Pierre
Pierre
Pierre
Pierre

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