Acrobat

Cat. No. 1116

Acrobat

State/Variant:
Only state
Date:
2005
Themes
Figures
Techniques
Etching
Support:
Paper
Dimensions:
plate (in 3 parts) (overall): 37 3/8 × 11 9/16" (94.9 × 29.4 cm); sheet: 43 1/8 × 16" (109.5 × 40.6 cm)
Signature:
"Louise Bourgeois" lower right margin, pencil.
Publisher
Osiris
Printer
Chestnut Street Press
Edition:
7
Edition Information:
This composition is comprised of 3 plates stacked on top of each other. For the illustrated book "Hang On," only 2 plates are used. For the edition "Acrobat," all 3 plates are used.

About the "Acrobat" edition:
The hand additions vary slightly across the edition. Of the 3 plates used in this composition, soft ground etching is only in the middle and lower thirds. The top third is a lightly distressed plate with crayon additions that extend the length of the two ropes. For comparison, see various impressions in the Evolving Composition Diagram below. In this edition, Bourgeois and the publisher designated each impression as a study. (Usually in this catalogue, the term study describes photocopies and tracings that were used in the process of developing a composition.)

About the "Hang On" illustrated book edition:
Of the announced edition of 9 unbound and 12 bound, only 9 unbound examples were realized.

There are varying hand additions across the edition of illustrated books. Impression number 5/9 was also available for examination by MoMA cataloguers, but was not available for reproduction. In that example, plate 6 has blue watercolor wash, pencil, and red crayon additions.
Impression:
"7/7" lower left margin, pencil, unknown hand.
Curatorial Remarks:
The hand additions and paper type could not be fully documented because this work is not in MoMA's Collection and could not be examined in person. The plate dimensions are from the impression in MoMA's Collection. The sheet dimensions were provided by the Louise Bourgeois Studio.
Description:
Soft ground etching, with watercolor, pencil, and colored pencil additions
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Untitled, plate 6 of 15, from the illustrated book, Hang On ; Acrobat

2004-2005

Source

1954

Untitled (double-sided)

Source

1992

Untitled
States
Untitled, plate 6 of 17, from the illustrated book, Hang On
Acrobat
Acrobat
Acrobat
Acrobat
Acrobat
Acrobat
Acrobat

Illustrated Book

2004

Hang On

Related Works in Other Mediums

Hold On
Untitled
Untitled
Look: Nothing to Hide
Untitled