Louise Bourgeois:
To Unravel a Torment
May 2018—June 2019
Known for her formal innovations and fearless explorations of her own personal history, trailblazing French-born American artist Louise Bourgeois (b. 1911, d. 2010) intertwined the abstract with the corporeal to striking, often visceral effect. Louise Bourgeois: To Unravel a Torment featured nearly 30 works spanning five decades of the artist’s career, all drawn from Glenstone’s collection. Included in this exhibition was The Destruction of the Father, 1974, a bold installation realized at a pivotal moment in the artist’s career. Following its presentation at Glenstone, Louise Bourgeois: To Unravel a Torment traveled to the Museum Voorlinden in the Netherlands.
Exhibition Preview
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Louise Bourgeois
The Curved House, 2010
Bourgeois 2010The Curved House, 2010
marble
4 ¾ x 8 ¼ x 2 ¾ inches (12 x 21 x 7 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SM-LB-15-1066x800.jpg A small cream-colored house, slightly curved, sits in a white space with symmetrical indentations for the doorway and four windows. -
Louise Bourgeois
I Give Everything Away, 2010
Bourgeois 2010I Give Everything Away, 2010
etching and mixed media on paper, six panels
panel 1: 59 ⅞ x 71 inches (152 x 180 cm)
panel 2: 60 x 73 inches (152 x 185 cm)
panel 3: 59 ¾ x 69 ⅝ inches (152 x 177 cm)
panel 4: 59 ¾ x 70 inches (152 x 178 cm)
panel 5: 60 x 106 inches (152 x 269 cm)
panel 6: 59 ¾ x 69 inches (152 x 175 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/give-1-1066x800.jpg
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Louise Bourgeois
Untitled, 2007
Bourgeois 2007Untitled, 2007
fabric and thread
13 x 18 ½ x 12 inches (33 x 47 x 30 cm)
70 x 30 x 24 inches (178 x 76 x 61 cm) with vitrine
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SM-LB-14-e1531922532673-695x800.jpg (3) light brown, figurative head-shaped soft woven objects lay on a pillow-like pieced together fabric cushion. An aluminum floor-mounted box contains the combination. -
Louise Bourgeois
Untitled, 2005
Bourgeois 2005Untitled, 2005
fabric
25 ½ x 33 inches (65 x 84 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SM-LB-10-1066x800.jpg In a wall-hung natural wood frame sits 5 matted interconnected red segmented panels, (each with 8 triangular sections), made of fabric. -
Louise Bourgeois
Je t’aime, 2005
Bourgeois 2005Je t’aime, 2005
charcoal, ink, pencil, sanguine and gouache on paper
suite of 60 double-sided drawings, each 9 ½ x 8 inches (24 x 20 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/jetaime-web-1067x800.jpg -
Louise Bourgeois
Lady in Waiting, 2003
Bourgeois 2003Lady in Waiting, 2003
tapestry, thread, stainless steel, steel, wood and glass
82 x 43 ½ x 58 inches (208 x 110 x 147 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SHOT-01_PS_SM-LB-09-e1531922877236-600x800.jpg A small stainless steel figure with extended stick-like appendages sits on a tapestry covered chair enclosed in a wood and steel floor mounted box. A double hung window allows for visual access for viewing. -
Louise Bourgeois
Untitled, 2002
Bourgeois 2002Untitled, 2002
needlepoint and aluminum
17 x 12 x 12 inches (43 x 30 x 30 cm)
70 x 24 x 24 inches (178 x 61 x 61 cm) with vitrine
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SHOT-01-CROPPED_SM-LB-8-e1531922847777-678x800.jpg Inside a floor mounted metal aluminum cabinet rests a figurative sculpted head made of multi-colored needlepointed fabric resting on a platform. -
Louise Bourgeois
Ode à la Bièvre, 2002
Bourgeois 2002Ode à la Bièvre, 2002
fabric and color lithograph book
25 pages, each 11 x 15 ½ inches (28 x 39 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ode-1-1066x800.jpg A beige cotton-looking rectangle with the words Ode de La Bievre printed in blue capital letters in the center vertically. On the left side of the rectangle are four attached vertical cotton loops.
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Louise Bourgeois
Ste. Sébastienne, 1998
Bourgeois 1998Ste. Sébastienne, 1998
ink on Xerox paper mounted on canvas
77 ½ x 63 inches (197 x 160 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SM-LB-11-e1531922542737-600x800.jpg -
Louise Bourgeois
Untitled, 1996
Bourgeois 1996Untitled, 1996
cloth, bone, and steel
118 ¼ x 82 x 77 inches (300 x 208 x 196 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SHOT-02_PS_SM-LB-7-600x800.jpg A floor mounted steel rack features (8) steel extensions from a center pole. Each extension holds a hanger made out of bone on which fabric items of women clothing are placed. -
Louise Bourgeois
Single I, 1996
Bourgeois 1996Single I, 1996
fabric, hanging piece
84 x 52 x 16 inches (213 x 132 x 41 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/lb-web.jpg A full size segmented headless extended fabric figure hangs "upside down", suspended from the ceiling with a cord which is fastened to a supporting hook and ring. -
Louise Bourgeois
Le Défi IV, 1994
Bourgeois 1994Le Défi IV, 1994
painted wood, glass, mirror and electric lights
73 ½ x 65 x 24 inches (187 x 165 x 61 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/BOURl_GF_LeDefi.jpg Large blue crate box sits on three wheels with numerous glass containers and glass shelving inside. -
Louise Bourgeois
Cell I, 1991
Bourgeois 1991Cell I, 1991
painted wood, fabric, metal, and glass
83 x 96 x 108 inches (211 x 244 x 274 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LB_INSTALL-03_SM-web-600x800.jpg A panelized self supporting wood enclosure, or room, with blue and white painted residential doors acting as the walls which provide openings and access. The room contains many domestic glass and metal objects, including a bed and personalized woven text. -
Louise Bourgeois
Cell III, 1991
Bourgeois 1991Cell III, 1991
painted wood, painted metal, marble, steel, mirror, and glass
111 x 130 ½ x 165 ⅛ inches (282 x 332 x 419 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LB_INSTALL-22_SM-web-600x800.jpg An enclosure with hinged painted wood and steel industrial doors; the room features a combination of surreal ordinary and extraordinary objects of marble, steel, glass, and a mirror. -
Louise Bourgeois
Cell (Choisy), 1990-1993
Bourgeois 1990Cell (Choisy), 1990-1993
marble, metal and glass
120 ½ x 67 x 95 inches (306 x 170 x 241 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/cell-web-e1531921902709-600x800.jpg -
Louise Bourgeois
Legs, 1986
Bourgeois 1986Legs, 1986
rubber and steel, hanging piece
123 x 7 x 3 inches (312 x 18 x 8 cm) right leg
122 ¾ x 5 ½ x 3 inches (312 x 14 x 8 cm) left leg
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/legs-web.jpg Long, thin, black rubber legs hanging from grey wall almost touching wood floor. -
Louise Bourgeois
The Destruction of the Father, 1974
Bourgeois 1974The Destruction of the Father, 1974
latex, plaster, wood, fabric, and red light
93 ⅝ x 142 ⅝ x 97 ⅞ inches (238 x 362 x 249 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SM-LB-30-1-1066x800.jpg -
Louise Bourgeois
Untitled, 1972
Bourgeois 1972Untitled, 1972
painted wood and cardboard
27 x 23 x 20 inches (69 x 58 x 51 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SM-LB-29-e1531922262228-600x800.jpg A series of black tube-like forms project both up from a wood base; and down from another wood surface at eye-level. The forms have angled tops, are made of both wood and cardboard, and are spaced together but at random. -
Louise Bourgeois
Fillette (Sweeter Version), 1968/1999
Bourgeois 1968Fillette (Sweeter Version), 1968/1999
pigmented urethane rubber, hanging piece
23 ½ x 10 ½ x 7 ¾ inches (60 x 27 x 20 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PS_SM-LB-12-e1531922883963-600x800.jpg A ceiling mounted wire-hung brown pigmented urethane rubber object, evocative of organic and prurient figurative representation. -
Louise Bourgeois
Avenza Revisited II, 1968
Bourgeois 1968Avenza Revisited II, 1968
plaster, shellac, paint, plastic and wire on wood base
59 x 55 ⅞ x 94 ½ inches (150 x 142 x 240 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SM-LB-24-1067x800.jpg A floor mounted shellac treated plaster object sits on a wood base on a wood floor, organic and sinuous in form and delineation. -
Louise Bourgeois
Noir Veine, 1968
Bourgeois 1968Noir Veine, 1968
marble
23 x 24 x 27 inches (58 x 61 x 69 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/lb-web-1-e1531921933285-600x800.jpg On a thick wood rectangular base (which sits on a wood floor) rests a solid black and white veined marble object, delineated with column-like vertical extensions featuring rounded domed tops. -
Louise Bourgeois
Hanging Janus with Jacket, 1968
Bourgeois 1968Hanging Janus with Jacket, 1968
bronze, hanging piece
10 ⅝ x 20 ⅝ x 6 ⅜ inches (27 x 52 x 16 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SM-LB-26-1066x800.jpg A vertical wire hangs from the top center, connected to a small circle, from which hangs horizontal wing-like shapes. Attached underneath these are short rounded stumps that face inward. -
Louise Bourgeois
The Quartered One, 1964
Bourgeois 1964The Quartered One, 1964
plaster with shellac, hanging piece
62 ¼ x 24 x 20 inches (158 x 61 x 51 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SM-LB-25-e1531922452788-600x800.jpg A (shellac coated) plaster sculpture hangs from the ceiling at eye level by means of a hook and a cable. The sculpture which has an uneven surface features openings of various sizes in the surface, and projections of elements beyond the surface. -
Louise Bourgeois
Untitled, 1954
Bourgeois 1954Untitled, 1954
painted wood
73 x 12 x 12 inches (185 x 30 x 30 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SHOT-01_SM-LB-3-e1531922859883-600x800.jpg A thin sculpture composed of stacked wood blocks painted white, with a black painted wood base, leans slightly to the left in the gallery. -
Louise Bourgeois
Figure Regardant une Maison, 1950
Bourgeois 1950Figure Regardant une Maison, 1950
wood
66 ⅝ x 15 ⅛ x 12 inches (169 x 38 x 30 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SHOT-01_SM-LB-6-e1531922854139-600x800.jpg Two tall, thin shapes of turned and carved wood, one resembling a bed post and one resembling a spear, stand on the floor in the gallery. -
Louise Bourgeois
Figure Qui Apporte du Pain, 1950
Bourgeois 1950Figure Qui Apporte du Pain, 1950
wood
60 ¾ x 12 x 12 inches (154 x 30 x 30 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SHOT-03_PS_SM-LB-5-e1531922841146-600x800.jpg A tall, thin, beige and red-brown, segmented wooden sculpture stands attached to the square-patterned floor in front of a gray painted wall. -
Louise Bourgeois
He Disappeared into Complete Silence, 1947/2005
Bourgeois 1947He Disappeared into Complete Silence, 1947/2005
book of 11 engravings on paper with aquatint and handcoloring accompanied by letterpress text in portfolio
10 x 14 inches (25 x 36 cm) plates 1 - 9; 10 x 6 ¾ inches (25 x 17 cm) plates 10 - 11
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Courtesy The Easton Foundation/VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Courtesy The Easton Foundation/VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/BOURG-he-disappeared-1.jpg Two book pages, the left of which has a short story, and the right of which has an abstract drawing of a building/woman.
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Louise Bourgeois
Untitled, 1947-1949
Bourgeois 1947Untitled, 1947-1949
painted wood
64 x 12 x 12 inches (163 x 30 x 30 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SHOT-01_SM-LB-2-e1531922865966-600x800.jpg Tall, thin segmented-form, totem-like painted white wood sculpture with black outlines stands in the gallery. -
Louise Bourgeois
The Tomb of a Young Person, 1947-1949
Bourgeois 1947The Tomb of a Young Person, 1947-1949
painted wood
46 x 12 x 12 inches (117 x 30 x 30 cm)
© 2023 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo: Ron Amstutz
Ron Amstutz Louise Bourgeois https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SHOT-03_SM-LB4-e1531922833744-600x800.jpg In front of a grey wall, a tall thin white figured wood sculpture sits directly fastened into the wood floor.
Publications
Louise Bourgeois: To Unravel a Torment (2018)
Introduction by Emily Wei Rales. Text by Briony Fer, Philip Larratt-Smith.
Louise Bourgeois: To Unravel a Torment accompanies the first exhibition of Louise Bourgeois’s (1911–2010) work at Glenstone and features nearly 30 major works drawn from the museum’s collection. From her early wooden Personages to her large hanging sculptures, from suites of drawings and prints to textile works and her immersive Cells, To Unravel a Torment surveys Bourgeois’s career through selected examples from her enormous body of work. Bourgeois was also a prolific writer, matching her sculptural language with reams of psychoanalytic musings on repression, symbolism, and material. To Unravel a Torment also brings together never-before-published diary entries by the artist, annotated by Bourgeois scholar Philip Larratt-Smith, a contribution by art historian Briony Fer, and extensive installation photography.
Publisher: Glenstone Museum
ISBN: 9780999802915
Publication date: 2018
Page count: 212
$50.00
https://www.glenstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/BOURGEOIS_BOOK-01_SM-1-810x1080.jpg
