Couples was published as a benefit for The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, for the exhibition "Louise Bourgeois at the Hermitage." The imagery of standing, embracing couples refers to a performance art piece produced by Bourgeois in 1992 involving a 178-foot long cloth banner bearing the text "She Lost It." and multiple performers. The performance opened with one performer wrapped in the banner. The banner was slowly extended, revealing both the text and the performer, who was then joined by another, forming an embracing couple. The pair was then rewrapped in the banner, resulting in an image similar to the one in this lithograph.