Maman vor dem Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Undomitable
Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois was an artist who made history with her indomitable nature. From giant phalli and spiders to morbid installations and whimsical performances, she shook up the art world - not too briefly: born in 1911, the French artist ran riot in her New York studio until her death in 2010. She paired her surrealist roots with her personal psychological reappraisal process - and crowned this creation with ambiguous genital sculptures or a family massacre. Today, the giant spider sculpture Maman in front of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is a testament to her playful, rebellious esprit.

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Spotlight on: Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois: her long way to the top

In 1911 in Paris, a girl is born who would live to be almost 100 years old. In 2010, at the end of her life, she is where many want to be: at the top of the art world. Louise Bourgeois asserted herself, with spiders and phalli, performance and installations - and her »indomitable« nature.

by Bettina Röhl, August 05, 2022
Louise Bourgeois: »Maman«
Louise Bourgeois, Maman

The Spider, a loving predator: Bourgeois' great triumph

by Marius Meyer, August 26, 2022

In 1999, Louise Bourgeois received the Golden Lion for her life's work at the Venice Biennale − yet she had not even created her most famous work. She devoted an entire decade to researching the mother figure, culminating in the monumental spider sculpture Maman. This and its six casts fascinate viewers worldwide.

Louise Bourgeois' early work

»Drawings are thought feathers«

by Marius Meyer, July 26, 2022

Louise Bourgeois is one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. Her large-format spider sculptures are particularly associated with her. However, the artist's early works are primarily drawings. These were psychologically and artistically essential for Bourgeois, which is why she drew them daily until the end of her life.

Louise Bourgeois' middle work – performance, sculptures and installations

Catharsis incarnate

by Bettina Röhl, September 17, 2022

Three works from the middle of her life tell of Louise Bourgeois' process of reappraisal: Janus Fleuri (1968), The Destruction of the Father (1974), and A Banquet/A Fashion Show of Body Parts (1978) deconstruct gender, the body, and one's own father. They bespeak the story of how Bourgeois therapized herself in mid-life and the pleasure she gained from destroying everything.

Dive deeper into the art world

Biennale 2024
Venice Biennal 2024

331 artists – this number alone is impressive. That is over 100 more than at the 2022 Biennale, which was already on a grand scale. Curated by Adriano Pedrosa, the 2024 edition promises to break new ground and be a »call to action« for the (art) world.

NFT
Beeple

Is Beeple the blueprint of an artist in the 21st century? How a computer scientist shook up the art world with NFTs.

Busts
Features

The art world has many stories to tell. Not every one gets the attention it deserves. The Art.Salon presents institutions and personalities that stand out through creativity and commitment and even give a voice to those who are otherwise not heard.

The Art.Salon reports on spectaculour auction results
Auction Market

90 Millionen Dollar für eine Arbeit von David Hockney, ein Warhol für 195 Millionen US-Dollar, Basquiats Untitled: 57 Millionen US-Dollar – Der Art.Salon hält die aberwitzigsten Auktionsergebnisse fest und berichtet über denkwürdige Versteigerungen.

Atelier
Artist Portraits

The art world has many stories to tell. Not every one gets the attention it deserves. The Art.Salon presents institutions and personalities that stand out through creativity and commitment and even give a voice to those who are otherwise not heard.

Man working at his atelier
Interviews

What affects your choice of colors? What made you start making artwork out of old books? You are in fact a mortician and now also gallery owner, how did that happen? Art.Salon allowed itself to ask artists questions that literally impose themselves when looking at the Art. The interviews with contemporary artists allow us to look deeply and understand better.

The poster for the Guerilla Girls\' campaign, which reads »Do Women Have to be Naked to Get Into the Met Museum?«
Controversy

Art makes politics – but that does not only refer to the work. Art politicizes itself not only through its creator. Also the scene reproduces injustices. The Art.Salon explored political controversies such as the gender pay gap and looted art.

Andy_Warhol,_Jean-Michel_Basquiat,_Bruno_Bischofberger_and_Fransesco_Clemente,_New_York,_1984
Jean-Michel Basquiat

The life and work of an iconic artist who today regularly breaks auction records.

Key Visual der documenta fifteen
Documenta Fifteen

The documenta is considered one of the most important exhibitions of contemporary art worldwide. Every five years, Kassel's "Museum of 100 Days", as the documenta in Kassel is also called, welcomes artists, cultural workers and visitors.

Exhibtion
Art Market

For those on the outside, the art market is opaque and often poses a mystery. Trends are difficult to see from the outside, and being included in the circle of collectors leaves you perplexed at the beginning. The Art.Salon brings light into the darkness, where the art market is otherwise rather hidden.

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