Cat. No. 1372

Inside of You

State/Variant:: Unique variant
Date:: 2006

Themes: Abstraction, Animals & Insects, Fabric Works
Techniques: Etching
Support:: panel (a): Paper
panel (b): Fabric
panel (c): Paper
panel (d): Paper
panel (e): Fabric
Dimensions:: plate (a and c) (each): 60 5/16 × 12 3/8" (153.2 × 31.5 cm); plate (b): 60 1/4 × 19 3/4" (153 × 50.1 cm); plate (e): 60 1/2 × 14" (153.7 × 35.5 cm); sheet (overall): 60 × 104 1/2" (152.4 × 265.4 cm)
Signature:: panel (e): "LB" right lower margin, stitched in red thread.
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.
Description:: panel (a): Soft ground etching
panel (b): Soft ground etching
panel (c): Soft ground etching
panel (d): Pencil
panel (e): Soft ground etching, with watercolor and gouache additions
Inscription:: panel (d): "I have to know / what's going on / inside of you" upper center sheet, pencil, artist's hand.
State Changes and Additions:: Matrices:
This 5-panel composition uses 3 plates that were used in other compositions and issued as a separate edition. They are noted below and can be seen in Related Works in the Catalogue.

panels (a) and (c): plate from "Alone and Together"
For these panels, the plate is in the reverse orientation of the impression of the only state in MoMA's Collection.

panel (b): plate from "The Little Leeches"

panel (e): plate from "Losing It"