Lee Bontecou (American, 1931-2022)
printed by Thomas Cox and James V. Smith
published by Universal Limited Art Editions (American, founded 1955)
Pirates
INV-1002
Lee Bontecou (American, 1931-2022)
printed by Thomas Cox and James V. Smith
published by Universal Limited Art Editions (American, founded 1955)1979–82
lithographprint
Date
1979–82
Medium
Lithograph from seven plates and three stones in black, gray, blue, purple, and metallic silver ink on white wove paper
Dimensions
97 × 115.5 cm (38 1/4 × 45 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
U.L.A.E. Collection acquired through a challenge grant of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dittmer; purchased with funds provided by supporters of the Department of Prints and Drawings; Centennial Endowment; Margaret Fisher Endowment Fund
In Pirates, the artist worked for the first time in offset lithography, in which the images on metal plates are first transferred (“offset”) to rubber blankets or rollers before being printed onto the paper. The most complex print she had yet attempted, Pirates required seven metal plates and three lithographic stones to produce its final, swirling image, one of what Bontecou called her “worldscapes.” The title was chosen by Bontecou’s printer; Bontecou herself resisted giving titles to her works, not wishing to influence the viewer’s interpretation.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
An Untitled Print
Lee Bontecou (American, 1931-2022) printed by Thomas Cox and James V. Smith published by Universal Limited Art Editions (American, founded 1955)
Third Stone
Lee Bontecou (American, 1931-2022) printed by Zigmunds Priede published by Universal Limited Art Editions (American, founded 1955)
