Louise Bourgeois, Untitled from Anatomy Portfolio, 1990
At the Museum of Modern Art in New York lives a portfolio complete with twelve compositions: intimate and endlessly inventive, the 'Anatomy' Portfolio is replete with all of Louise Bourgeois' most prominent imagery. A disembodied head proliferates, and skeletal knees knock together. Long hair flows and knots, while cocoons sprout and bodies squat. The most iconic of this series must be Bourgeois' drawing of a female torso. At once feminist and unsettling, this particular composition is iconic of the artist's incredibly long and prolific career.
Louise Bourgeois was a pioneer throughout both modern and contemporary art movements. Her work is so influential that any contemporary artwork featuring spiders, spirals or domestic installations may be read as a direct reference to her extraordinary oeuvre. Recognised primarily for her sculptures, the artist was inspired by her own memories and trauma. Navigating powerful themes such as mortality and parenthood, the artist was selected for the first commission at the Tate Modern's coveted Turbine Hall. Printmaking formed an essential part of the artist's practice, particularly during the earlier and later periods of her life. Not only can a distilling of her dark imagination be observed through her printmaking, but this aspect of her career makes collecting her work easier for those unable to house a 30ft high spider sculpture.
The 'Untitled' print of a female torso within her 'Anatomy' portfolio is an essential acquisition for admirers of her work. The piece is immediately reminiscent of the artist's famous 'Avenza' artwork. If you don't recognise the title, you will certainly recognise Peter Moore's photograph of the artist stood in the street wearing a latex cast of the multi-breasted sculpture. The artwork took many forms over the years, beginning as a plaster sculpture in 1968 and evolving into costume and installation. The image was clearly vital to the artist, as she revisited and reconfigured the concept throughout her career.
The artist was inspired by anatomy, and often considered human bodies as landscapes. Bourgeois is considered a feminist artist, and so her configuring of the female form through a topographical lens could be interpreted as a conceptualising of 'Mother Earth'.
We are thrilled to currently have this incredible, 'Untitled' drypoint in our collection. The print is a publisher's proof aside from the very small edition size of 44. This piece offers a rare opportunity to collect a fantastic, instantly recognisable Louise Bourgeois image. Please get in touch with one of our advisors for more information.
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