Louise Bourgeois

CHILDHOOD AND EARLY INFLUENCES

Born in Paris to a family of tapestry restorers, Bourgeois grew up amidst her mother’s stitching and her father’s betrayals, as he had an affair with her governess for many years. These experiences left a profound mark on her psyche and art, as she frequently explored themes of family, memory, and childhood trauma. Her mother’s illness and death in 1932, a strong, skilled, and patient woman, further deepened Bourgeois’s connection to the maternal figure, which would later be vividly reflected in Maman.

Initially studying mathematics at the Sorbonne, Bourgeois quickly shifted to art upon realizing that she could not find solace in numbers. She attended several prestigious art schools in Paris, including École des Beaux-Arts and Académie de la Grande Chaumière, while working with pioneering artists like Fernand Léger.

In 1938, Bourgeois married American art historian Robert Goldwater and moved to New York, where she gradually found her place in the American art scene, amidst the rise of abstract art.

ARTISTIC MARKS PRIOR TO MAMAN

hough renowned for her spider sculptures, Bourgeois underwent various creative phases with different styles and materials. In the 1940s, she began a series of wooden sculptures called Personnages, depicting elongated human forms that evoke the loneliness and loss of those she left behind when she left France.

Louise Bourgeois’s Personages at Art Basel 2013

During the 1960s and 1970s, as sculpture became bolder and more abstract, Bourgeois explored organic, biological, and sexual forms. Works like Fillette (1968), a giant rubber sculpture resembling a phallus, and Destruction of the Father (1974), an installation simulating a scene of a child imagining killing his father, starkly illustrate her psychological obsessions and her approach to breaking traditional artistic rules.

From the 1980s onward, Bourgeois focused on using fabric and soft materials, creating pieces like Cells (a series that began in 1989)—installations resembling secluded cells in which she displayed personal objects, symbolizing memory and isolation.

Cells. Source: garagemca

MAMAN – A POWERFUL SYMBOL OF MOTHERHOOD

When discussing Louise Bourgeois, one cannot overlook Maman, the bronze and steel sculpture standing over 9 meters high, created in 1999. This work depicts a giant spider with an abdomen filled with marble eggs, presenting both a frightening and a protective connotation.

For Bourgeois, the image of the spider represented not only fear but also the symbol of the mother—a figure who is strong, resourceful, and capable of sheltering and protecting her children. She once stated: “The spider is a friendly creature. It eats mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes carry diseases, and therefore, the spider is a friend.”

Maman, Bronze, 1999. Source: artsper

Maman stands over 9 meters tall, with long, slender spider legs extending as if it is walking. The enormous size of the piece makes viewers feel small, even overwhelmed by its presence. Viewed from below, the curved spider legs create an enveloping space that is both protective and threatening. This evokes a complex psychological response: viewers may feel safe as if sheltered under the shadow of a mother, yet they may also feel anxious about their own fragility.

Bourgeois chose graceful yet angular curves to portray the spider’s image. The body and abdomen of the spider are made from steel mesh, creating a delicate effect that contrasts with the long, sturdy bronze legs. The white marble eggs in the spider’s abdomen enhance the femininity and reproductive symbolism of the work.

Maman is not only a symbol of motherhood but also reflects the complex relationship between protection and insecurity. The spider is a creature capable of weaving silk to create a web—a refuge, a hunting trap, but also a symbol of creativity. With this work, Bourgeois honors her mother as a strong, resourceful woman who protects her family with her skill. However, the spider can also evoke fear—a common obsession in human psychology. This makes Maman a profoundly evocative piece: it attracts and repels viewers simultaneously, forcing them to confront their own emotions.

An edition of Louise Bourgeois’s Maman at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.
Luis Tejido/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

With its enormous size and metaphorical imagery, Maman has become one of the most iconic public sculptures in contemporary art. Its placement in various public spaces such as Tate Modern (London) and Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao) allows it to become a part of the urban landscape, creating moments of dialogue between art and everyday life.

This work is displayed in many museums and public spaces around the world, including Tate Modern (London), Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao), and the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa).

This juxtaposition—between the strong yet delicate form, between the rigid materials and the nurturing message—serves as the unique highlight of Maman. It creates a visual dialogue that compels viewers to reflect on the mixed emotions evoked by the image of the spider.

ARTISTIC LEGACY

Louise Bourgeois passed away in 2010, but her artistic legacy continues to profoundly influence contemporary artists. The themes she pursued—from personal memory to the role of women in art—remain topical. She not only paved the way for contemporary sculpture but also laid the foundation for many feminist art movements and body art.

From her earliest works reflecting deep loneliness to the haunting Cells series, culminating in Maman, Louise Bourgeois proved that art is not just beauty, but a powerful tool to confront the past, delve into human psychology, and convey profound emotions.

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Author
Anh Nguyên