Cat. No. 1284

Anthropomorphic View of the World

State/Variant:: Unique variant
Date:: 2008

Themes: Abstraction, Fabric Works
Techniques: Etching
Support:: panel (a): Two layers of fabric
panel (b) and (c): Paper
Dimensions:: plate (a): 60 1/4 × 35 11/16" (153.1 × 90.6 cm); plate (c): 60 1/4 × 18 13/16" (153 × 47.8 cm); sheet: 61 × 74" (154.9 × 188 cm)
Signature:: panel (c): "LB" lower right comp., pencil.
Publisher: Osiris
Printer: Wingate Studio
Edition:: Unique
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 color of the hand additions and 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 impressions in MoMA's Collection. The overall sheet dimensions were provided by the Louise Bourgeois Studio.

On panel (a), the hand additions are primarily on the bottom layer of fabric. The top print is on a sheer piece of fabric so the hand additions on the print beneath can be seen.
Description:: panel (a): Soft ground etchings, with watercolor, gouache, and pencil additions (see Curatorial Remarks)
panel (b): Pencil
panel (c): Soft ground etching, with watercolor, gouache, and pencil additions
Inscription:: panel (b): "anthropomorphic / view / of / the world." center comp., pencil, artist's hand.
State Changes and Additions:: Matrices:
This 3-panel composition is made up of 2 plates that were issued as separate editions. They are noted below and can be seen in Related Works in the Catalogue.

panel (a): plate from "The Stretch"
Plate printed twice.

panel (c): plate from "The Twist"