Louise Bourgeois. Hamlet and Ophelia (1997)

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Louise Bourgeois. Hamlet and Ophelia. 1997

NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION

Cat. No. 697/II

Hamlet and Ophelia

State/Variant:: State II of VI
Date:: 1997

Themes:: Figures, Nature, Spirals
Techniques:: Lithography
Description:: Lithograph
Support:: Paper
Dimensions:: sheet (cut away in lower third): 28 1/4 × 41 1/2" (71.8 × 105.4 cm)
Signature:: Not signed
Publisher:: unpublished
Printer:: SOLO Impression, New York
Edition:: 1 known impression of state II
Impression:: Not numbered
Edition Information:: Proof before the editioning of state VI.
State Changes and Additions:: Matrices:
The progression of this composition, as seen in the Evolving Composition Diagram below, involved 8 lithography plates.

Plate 1 in red: figures.

Plate 2 in dark blue: horizontal line between figures, shoes, Adam’s apple, water.

Plate 3 in light blue: shading in Ophelia’s hair.

Plate 4 in turquoise: sky.

Plate 5 in dark blue: shading in Ophelia’s hair.

Plate 6 in black: horizontal line between figures, penis, Adam’s apple, shoes, eyes.

Plate 7 in light blue: waves and shading lines in water.

Plate 8 in dark blue: shading in sky, shading lines water, shading in Ophelia’s hair.

State Changes:
Plates 1, 2, and 4 printed.
Changes from state I: plate 4 introduced.
Changes from state I, in plate 1, by burnishing: word “woman” removed from center composition.
Changes from state I, in plate 2, in lithography: water added.
The lower right portion of this impression was cut away (including the area of the composition depicting Ophelia's hair) so it is unknown whether plate 3 was printed.
Background:: State VI of this composition was published as a benefit for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), a multi-arts center located in Brooklyn, New York. For more than 150 years, BAM has been the home for adventurous artists, audiences, and ideas—engaging both global and local communities. With world-renowned programming in theater, dance, music, opera, and film, BAM showcases the work of emerging artists and innovative modern masters.

BAM's Visual Arts Initiative, a program that connects the visual and performing arts, approached Bourgeois to produce a work to benefit the organization. Bourgeois offered "Hamlet and Ophelia," which was then reproduced on the program for the 1997 Spring Season.

The source drawing for "Hamlet and Ophelia" is Untitled, no. 135 of 220, from the series, "The Insomnia Drawings." The drawing was reproduced on the cover of "Otte," Bourgeois's 1995 rap album, with lyrics and vocals by the artist, music by Satch Hoyt and Ramuntcho Matta, and production by Brigitte Cornand.
Artist’s Remarks:: Inscription on the verso of the source drawing: "La confiance est [strikethrough] / devrait être / endémique petit à petit / je vais l'attraper / Sauvée par la Routine / 5 minutes at a time / Elle n'est pas Ophelia et ses cheveux / She is not Ophelia" center sheet, pencil, artist's hand; "HAPPY (FEB 14) / VALENTINE [sic] DAY" center sheet, red ink, artist's hand.
Curatorial Remarks:: The paper type could not be documented because this work is not in MoMA's Collection and could not be examined in person. The sheet dimensions were provided by the Louise Bourgeois Studio.
Public Collection:: Mead Art Museum, Amherst College; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia; Philadelphia Museum of Art