Spider

Louise Bourgeois ranks among the most influential and innovative artists of the 20th century and is renowned for her evocative sculptures, paintings, and editioned prints. Since 1973, when she returned to printmaking after a twenty-five-year hiatus, she has produced more than 100 original prints. Much of her work is autobiographical in nature, emanating from her childhood experiences and memories. The image of the spider is a recurring motif in Bourgeois's artistic repertoire. Her mother was a weaver; restoring medieval tapestries was the family business. For Bourgeois, the spider evokes a caring mother figure, protecting her offspring from harm. Of her mother, she once observed, My best friend was my mother and she was deliberate, clever, patient, soothing, reasonable, dainty, subtle, indispensable, neat and useful as a spider.