I Have Been to Hell and Back

Those who have stood under one of her Mamans, sculptures of spiders that symbolize maternal protection, understand the singularity of Louise Bourgeois’s artistic approach. In terms of style, her pioneering body of work is complex, and she uses a wide variety of materials—drawings, etchings, installations, works made of fabric, sculptures out of wood, marble, bronze, latex, plaster, hemp—to deal with universal questions. The extensive monograph provides an overview of the overall artistic development of Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) and presents a large number of works, including some that have never before been published. The volume is grouped into themes that characterize her oeuvre, including memory, trauma, relationships, sexuality, fear, as well as the difficulty involved with being an artist and mother at the same time. Personal photographs furthermore document the artist’s childhood and family life; several letters and documents are being made accessible for the first time.