GILDED CUFF BANGLE, LOUISE BOURGEOIS, 2008

Of woven design with a brushed matt finish, inner circumference approximately 185mm, fitted case.

Stated to be white metal, gilded in 22 carat gold. Weighing approximately 490 grams. Condition as new.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that colour, clarity and weight of gemstones are statements of opinion only and not statements of fact by Sotheby's. We do not guarantee, and are not responsible for any certificate from a gemological laboratory that may accompany the property. We do not guarantee that watches are in working order. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue, in particular to the Notice regarding the treatment and condition of gemstones and to the Notice regarding import of Burmese jadeite and rubies into the US.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This cuff is unique.  Louise Bourgeois was born in Paris, France in 1911.  She grew up in the country.  Her family business was repairing antique tapestries and her job was to draw the missing parts of old tapestries on to canvases for the weavers.  Bourgeois originally studied Mathematics at the Sorbonne but soon moved into the art world studying at both the École du Louvre and the École des Beaux-Arts.  Having finished her formal studies she went on to work under Fernand Léger, a key figure in the abstract modern art movements.   She then moved to New York where she still lives and works.  Last year the Tate Modern put on an important retrospective of her work which received mass acclaim.

As a contemporary and colleague of the Surrealists and Abstract  expressionists and one of the most significant living artists of the 20th Century, Louise Bourgeois' own work has always been at the forefront of new developments in art.   However, the most significant influence on her work has been her emotional memories of her family and childhood.  Bourgeois conveys a variety of the darkest emotions in her work but with playfulness.   This cuff fits perfectly into her sculptural oeuvre.    Bourgeois has produced jewellery only twice before and both are totally different to this piece.  This really is a work of art.  It embodies the idea of wearable sculpture and the successful bidder has a rare opportunity to own a Bourgeois work unlike any other. 

One can draw many comparisons with this cuff and her recent sculpture Seven in Bed, 2001.   In this cuff, the tubes are weaved into a plait, each individual tube intertwining with another to form one fluid object.  In Seven in Bed each fabric figure is intertwined and sewn to another to create a biomorphic mass, each element feeding from another.