Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) was a French-American sculptor and visual artist whose work profoundly influenced contemporary art. Born in Paris, she discovered the artistic world at a young age while working in her parents' tapestry restoration workshop. After studying mathematics, she changed direction to devote herself to the visual arts and received rigorous artistic training that informed her practice throughout her career.

In 1938, she moved to New York, where she developed a personal artistic language marked by introspection, memory and emotions. She began with painting, but quickly turned to sculpture, working with materials such as plaster, latex, fabric and bronze. Her work explores themes such as motherhood, the body, sexuality, family and trauma, in a powerful aesthetic laden with symbols.

From the 1960s onwards, she adopted a more radical and experimental style, creating immersive installations and organic forms. Her monumental sculptures, notably her spiders, became emblematic of her research around the maternal figure, both protective and threatening.

Louise Bourgeois is today recognized as one of the major figures of 20th-century art. She has left her mark on the history of sculpture and installation through her formal freedom, emotional force, and lasting influence on generations of artists, particularly in feminist and contemporary circles. Her work continues to be exhibited worldwide and attracts renewed interest.