The Puritan: Study # 17 (cf. Wye & Smith 120-121)

Louise Bourgeois has long been regarded as one of the foremost sculptors of her generation. Her importance as a printmaker however, has been almost entirely overlooked, and it was not until 1990 when the artist decided to donate her entire printed oeuvre to the Museum of Modern Art in New York that this side of her career became more widely known. Only then did it emerge that within two very distinct periods; 1938-49 and from 1973 onwards, she had created a significant body of work, comprising approximately 150 engravings, drypoints, etchings and a small number of woodcuts. An artist-printmaker in the best sense of the word, Bourgeois had constantly experimented with her compositions, at times taking them through a dozen different states or more, thereby producing a large number of – often unique – impressions. Yet hardly any of her prints, especially those of the early period, were ever published, and very few found their way out of her studio.

The Puritan, a set of eight engravings, is the most important work of Bourgeois’ second period of printmaking. It was published from 1990 onwards in an edition of sixty bound and 15 unbound copies. Additionally, the artist created a number of unique, framed ‘studies’, of which the present lot is one, by arranging hand-coloured plates from the series in various combinations and layouts.