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Louise Bourgeois — Untitled
Louise Bourgeois — Untitled
Louise Bourgeois

Untitled

1988

A delicate yet psychologically charged work, this 1988 watercolour by Louise Bourgeois unfolds on blush-toned paper, a ground that feels at once intimate and bodily. Bourgeois brings her characteristic economy of mark to the composition, allowing washes of pigment to breathe and gather in ways that evoke organic form, emotional memory, and the permeable boundary between interior and exterior states. The pink paper is not merely a support but an active participant, its warmth amplifying the vulnerability that runs throughout the artist's practice during this period. Works on paper from the late 1980s occupy a particularly significant place within Bourgeois's career, as she was entering a decade of extraordinary critical recognition while continuing to work with radical directness in modest formats. This piece exemplifies her belief that scale has nothing to do with emotional magnitude. Small in dimension at 27 × 20.3 cm, it carries the full weight of her sustained investigation into the body, desire, and psychological tension. The artist's signature grounds the work with a personal authority that collectors have long recognized as central to its authenticity and presence. Offered through Xavier Hufkens, this signed watercolour represents a rare opportunity to acquire a work that is both historically grounded and visually immediate. Bourgeois held the works on paper medium in high regard, and the material choices here, fluid washes on coloured stock, reflect a sensibility that resists the monumental in favour of the intimately truthful. For collectors seeking depth of meaning alongside formal refinement, this is a compelling example of one of the twentieth century's most enduring artistic voices.

Medium
Watercolour on pink paper
Overall
Signed
Yes
Location
Xavier Hufkens, Brussels

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About this work

Louise Bourgeois, Untitled, 1988

A delicate yet psychologically charged work, this 1988 watercolour by Louise Bourgeois unfolds on blush-toned paper, a ground that feels at once intimate and bodily. Bourgeois brings her characteristic economy of mark to the composition, allowing washes of pigment to breathe and gather in ways that evoke organic form, emotional memory, and the permeable boundary between interior and exterior states. The pink paper is not merely a support but an active participant, its warmth amplifying the vulnerability that runs throughout the artist's practice during this period. Works on paper from the late 1980s occupy a particularly significant place within Bourgeois's career, as she was entering a decade of extraordinary critical recognition while continuing to work with radical directness in modest formats. This piece exemplifies her belief that scale has nothing to do with emotional magnitude. Small in dimension at 27 × 20.3 cm, it carries the full weight of her sustained investigation into the body, desire, and psychological tension. The artist's signature grounds the work with a personal authority that collectors have long recognized as central to its authenticity and presence. Offered through Xavier Hufkens, this signed watercolour represents a rare opportunity to acquire a work that is both historically grounded and visually immediate. Bourgeois held the works on paper medium in high regard, and the material choices here, fluid washes on coloured stock, reflect a sensibility that resists the monumental in favour of the intimately truthful. For collectors seeking depth of meaning alongside formal refinement, this is a compelling example of one of the twentieth century's most enduring artistic voices.

Medium
Watercolour on pink paper
Dimensions
overall: 27 x 20.3 cm
Year
1988
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Xavier Hufkens, Belgium

Related themes

Surrealism, French-American, 20th Century, Abstract Expressionism, Watercolour, Works On Paper, Pink Monochromatic, Figurative

More works by Louise Bourgeois

Collected by

Patrick Wesley, Alex Capecelatro