Louise Bourgeois (French/American, 1911-2010)
Homely Girl, A Life, 1992
Portfolio of 10 etchings in drypoint 20 ½ × 15 in. each
Louise Bourgeois’s artistic production defies easy categorization. She has been linked to Surrealism, American Abstraction, and Feminist Art, yet her work does not fit neatly into any 20th-century art movement. Born in France in 1911, Bourgeois arrived in the United States in 1938 and over the next seven decades produced a body of work centered on themes of childhood trauma, domesticity, sexuality, and the subconscious.
In this collaborative work, Bourgeois provides illustrations for playwright Arthur Miller’s novella, "Homely Girl, A Life" of 1992. The storyline traces the life of a woman who finds happiness when she falls in love with a blind musician who appreciates her inner beauty and character. Bourgeois's intricate line etchings, showcasing flowering and sprouting plants, subtly allude to a latent sensuality.
Bourgeois’s work is in the permanent collections of most major national and international museums.
More information on Louis Bourgeois can be found here:
https://www.hauserwirth.com/hauser-wirth-exhibitions/42202-louise-bourgeois-once-there-was-a-mother/