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Louise Bourgeois
Maman, by Louise Bourgeois, is a 30-foot-tall spider. This copy of the bronze sculpture was photographed outside the National Gallery of Canada.
Born	December 25, 1911 (1911-12-25) (age 95) Paris, France
Occupation	Sculptor

Louise Bourgeois (born December 25, 1911, Paris) is an artist and sculptor, whose work has been strongly influenced by the surrealists, abstract expressionism and minimalism. Her work is deeply involved in the investigation of her own psyche and relation to objects through strong intuition. She constantly evaluates her past and creates work that is based out of this nostalgia and torture. She is one of the most prominent sculptors of the 20th century. It is difficult to directly link her work to other artists because she is extremely original in much of her work. She is most known for her 'Cells', 'Spiders' and various drawings, books and sculptures. Image File history File links Information. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... Shortcut: WP:CU Marking articles for cleanup This page is undergoing a transition to an easier-to-maintain format. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOV Wikipedia policy is that all articles should be written from a neutral point of view. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1613x1097, 364 KB) Louise Bourgeois Maman, located outside the National Gallery of Canada. ... Diversity 111 families, 40,000 species Suborders Mesothelae Mygalomorphae Araneomorphae  See table of families Closeup image of a Wolf Spider Wikispecies has information related to: Spiders Spiders are predatory invertebrate animals that have two body segments, eight legs, no chewing mouth parts and no wings. ... National Gallery of Canada on Canada Day. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 6 days remaining in the year. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 6 days remaining in the year. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practising the arts and/or demonstrating an art. ... A sculpture is a three-dimensional object, which for the purposes of this article is man-made and selected for special recognition as art. ... Surrealism is an artistic movement and an aesthetic philosophy that aims for the liberation of the mind by emphasizing the critical and imaginative powers of the subconscious. ... Jackson Pollock, No. ... Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features and core self expression. ... Psyche can refer to: In psychology and related fields, the psyche is the entirety of the non-physical aspects of a person. ... One may feel nostalgic for the familiar routine of school, conveniently forgetting the painful experiences such as bullying. ...

Her parents were involved in repairing tapestries. As early as 12, she participated in their industry by helping to draw the missing segments of the tapestries, which would then be rewoven. At 15 she studied mathematics at the Sorbonne. Her studies of geometry contributed to her early work concerning cubism (in early paintings and drawings). Unable to find what she was looking for, she began with painting, studying at the École du Louvre and then the École des Beaux-Arts, and worked as an assistant to Fernand Léger. In 1938 she moved with her American husband to New York City, where she still lives. There is an album by Carol King called Tapestry A tapestry cushion, depicting pansies Tapestry is a form of textile art. ... The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th century engraving The historic University of Paris (French: ) first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was in 1970 reorganised as 13 autonomous universities (University of Paris I–XIII). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Ecole du Louvre is an institution of higher education and French Grande École dedicated to the study of Archaeology, History of Art, Anthropology and Epigraphy. ... École des Beaux-Arts (IPA ) refers to several art schools in France. ... Still Life with a Beer Mug, 1921. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... “New York, NY” redirects here. ...

Her works are sometimes abstract and she speaks of them in symbolic terms, and the main focus is "relationships" - considering an entity in relation to its surroundings. Louise Bourgeois finds inspiration for her works from her childhood: her adulterous father, who had an affair with her governess (who resided in the home), and her mother, who refused to acknowledge it. She claims that she has been the "striking-image" of her father since birth. Louise Bourgeois is very effective in conveying feelings such as anger, betrayal and jealousy. Her earliest exhibition, in 1947, consisted of tunnel sculptures and wooden figures (such as The Winged Figure (1948)). Despite early success in that show (one of the works was purchased for the Museum of Modern Art), she was subsequently left alone by the art market during the fifties and sixties. It was in the seventies, after the deaths of her husband and father, that she became one of the most successful artists living. In her sculpture, she has worked in many different mediums, including rubber, wood, stone, metal, and appropriately for someone who came from a family of tapestry makers, fabric. Some of her pieces consisted of erotic and sexual images, with a motif of "cumuls" (she named the round figures such because they reminded her of cumulus clouds). Her most famous works are possibly the spider structures, titled Maman, that have been made in the last dozen years. Today, she continues to work, having one of the longest careers that any artist has had. View across garden, in new MoMA building by Yoshio Taniguchi. ...

In 1993 she represented the United States at the Venice Biennale. In 1999, Bourgeois was the first artist commissioned to fill the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern. Publicity at the time stated that "Three large steel towers, about 30 feet high, dominate the east end of the Turbine Hall. Each tower supports a platform on which two chairs are surrounded by a series of large swivel mirrors. The mirrors with their reflective surfaces create an intense space for contemplation and reflection. Visitors are able to mount spiral staircases on the towers to experience the space of the platform and the Turbine Hall. Bourgeois imagines that the platforms will become the stage for significant conversations and human confrontations. Adjacent to the towers and straddling the bridge of the Turbine Hall is an enormous 35 feet high spider by Bourgeois, the largest she has made."[1] Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Detail of exhibition. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Tate Modern from the Millennium Bridge Tate Modern from St Pauls Cathedral. ...

The installations were later dismantled, the spider sculpture ("Maman") being relocated to Ottawa where it stands outside the entrance to the National Gallery of Canada. Motto: Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant Location of the City of Ottawa in the Province of Ontario Coordinates: Country Canada Province Ontario Established 1850 as Town of Bytown Incorporated 1855 as City of Ottawa Amalgamated January 1, 2001 Government  - Mayor Larry OBrien  - City Council Ottawa City Council  - Representatives 8... National Gallery of Canada on Canada Day. ...

See also

List of artworks by Louise Bourgeois This is a list of individual works of visual art (sculpture, drawings, and paintings) by Louise Bourgeois, sorted by year. ...

Reference

· 1911 – Born in Paris, France.

· 1932-1935 – studies at the Sorbonne Paris France.

· 1936-1937 – studies at the Ecole du louver Paris France.

· 1937-1938 – Pupil of Fernand Leger.

· 1938 – Emigrates to New York, USA.

Books

New York School Abstract Expressionists Artists Choice by Artists, (ed.) Marika Herskovic, New York School Press, 2000. ISBN 0-9677994-0-6 website

American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey, (ed.) Marika Herskovic, New York School Press, 2003. ISBN 0-9677994-1-4 website

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Spider by Louise Bourgeois

• Exhibition at Tate Modern
• Available Artwork at Gallery Paule Anglim

• Spider Photo of statue at Philadelphia Museum.