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The Arts Intel Report

Louise Bourgeois: Persistent Antagonism

Louise Bourgeois, The Runaway Girl, 1938.

Sept 22, 2023 – Jan 28, 2024
Schloss Belvedere, Prinz Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Wien, Austria

Louise Bourgeois is most famous for the huge goth spider sculptures she created in honor of her mother, who died when Bourgeois was only 20. The sculptures came in the late 1940s, after the artist had relocated to New York City. Bourgeois made the move in 1938 and took up fine art studies under the artist Vaclav Vytlacil. “The first painting had a grid,” she explained, “the grid is a very peaceful thing because nothing can go wrong … everything is complete.” Bourgeois’s early paintings from that decade are on view in this exhibition, but are juxtaposed with sculptures, installations, drawings, and prints from all periods of her career. This show is part of the Belvedere’s 300-year jubilee. —Elena Clavarino

Photo: Christopher Burke/© The Easton Foundation/Bildrecht, Vienna 2023