Louise Bourgeois

by Frances Morris, Marina Warner

Born in 1911, Louise Bourgeois began her career as a painter but switched to sculpture after her first solo exhibition in 1945. Her drawings, paintings, sculptures, and prints are almost obsessively autobiographical, depicting her concern with human isolation and with issues of gender. She has frequently stated that her personal style has evolved from her emotions. This book includes texts about the artist and her work, particularly focusing on four giant sculptures being prepared for the Unilever Series in the huge turbine hall at the heart of Tate Modern. There are also extracts from a lively interview recently conducted with the artist in her New York studio.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Visual Art

80 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Adolfo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bourgeois nos interpreta un glosario de palabras importantes referente a su trabajo, vida y de sus ideas. Me gusto mucho sobre todo que encontré algunas similitudes con unos conocidos ;)
Lo recomiendo.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way this catalog was arranged. It begins with informative essays by an assortment of scholars (of which I still have to read). But the most interesting aspect is that the next 80% of the book comprises a Bourgeois dictionary. It's a novel, fun and surprising strategy for examing this complex work. The reader is given lovely flexibility in how they navigate the terrain of Bourgeois's work. That freedom allows, indeed encourages, wonderful new contextualizations of the artist's work. Love it!

[Karen Witzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating; particularly the excerpts from Bernadac's interviews and Bourgeois's own writings.

[Mary Havens · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I technically abandoned this, which would normally give it a 1 star review, it was not abandoned because of poor content. I recently read another Louise Bourgeois book and this book was very similar. I liked the encyclopedia format but time is too short to read another book so soon.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aha! I had skimmed another book about this artist but couldn't recall the name of this book. Well, here it is. I'm sure I'm confusing the two books 'cause I skimmed 'em back to back -- I can't recall which one contained more plates (color or otherwise), for example. The contents were interesting, but unless I want to learn more about Bourgeois in the future, I probably wouldn't look at either book again.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Louise Bourgeois retrospective at the Guggenheim was hands down my favorite art exhibit. She is unbelievably talented, and the pieces in this book will stun you. What's great about this text, too, is that it isn't arranged chronologically or biographically so that you can just flip it open and read an intriguing blurb about her life. If you have no idea who she is, you should.

[Rachel Swearingen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Not only does it contain a retrospective of many of Bourgeois's works, it contains a quirky glossary of terms that have been meaningful to the artist, followed by selections from interviews, diaries, etc. I could page through this book forever. Of course, I'm smitten with Bourgeois and love her work.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

My comment on the exhibition is at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080714/schwabsky

[Mandy E · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lexicon of bourgeois...

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biographic/photographic of the great Louise Bourgeois.