Louise Bourgeois Exhibit Opens Jan. 22
January 8, 2019
Image: Louise Bourgeois, Topiary: The Art of Improving Nature, 1998
Plate 5 from a portfolio of 9 drypoint and aquatint etchings on paper, edition of 28
39 ¼ x 27 ¾ in.; 99,7 x 70,5 cm
Photo: Christopher Burke; © The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at ARS, NY
Topiary: The Art of Improving Nature celebrates a prime example of Louise Bourgeois’ innovative and groundbreaking work in printmaking. Topiary, originally commissioned to benefit the Whitney Museum of American Art, graces the permanent collections of the Tate Modern, London, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, among other institutions.
Comprising a suite of nine copper plate etchings with aquatint and drypoint, Topiary deftly and poignantly embraces narratives and imagery distinctly associated with Bourgeois’ artwork: trees and vegetation as metaphors for the human condition; the implications of an impassioned color palette; and conceptual absence as presented through depictions of amputation and anguish. Topiary is published by Julie Sylvester-Cabot, Whitney Museum of American Art Editions and printed by Harlan & Weaver Inc., a print publisher and collaborative print-shop that specializes in etching and other forms of intaglio printmaking. Configuration: The Portrayal of Vegetation and Figuration in the Prints of Louise Bourgeois complements the Topiary portfolio exhibit with a selection of etchings from Harlan & Weaver Inc. that share similar narratives surrounding the connection between vegetation and the human condition.
Topiary: The Art of Improving Nature - Louise Bourgeois
Cynthia Nourse Thompson, Curator
Dorrance Hamilton & Arronson Galleries
Hamilton Hall
320 South Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Configuration: The Portrayal of Vegetation and Figuration in the Prints of Louise Bourgeois
Cynthia Nourse Thompson, Curator
Lauren McDonald, Co-Curator
President's Office
Hamilton Hall
320 South Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19102