Louise Bourgeois ....... Lossing An Incredible Spirit!!!

Louise Bourgeois (1911 - 2010) has been an incredible force in the art world for over 70 years. She was "one of a kind," unique, an individual ....... her work was that of a woman "searching" her life. Nothing was off-limits  ..... she delved into every crevice of her being. She subjected her insides and outsides to public scrutiny, and was fearless in her exploration of self. She didn't care what critics had to say, she worked outside the boundaries of being a woman ..... she made feminism a part of her process. She lived "between two worlds, within two languages ..... male and female, order and chaos." Working endlessly she created an enormous body of work that will be with us forever.

I would like to share one of the last pieces she made for her French gallery, Galerie Piece Unique. Owned by my friends, Marussa Gravagnuolo  & Christine Lahoud, I was lucky enough to see this work in Paris and longed to live with it!!!!!

The piece has a fabulous history ..... the original piece of cloth, with the initials LB was found by Marussa & Christine during their travels. The initialed piece of antique linen appeared to be a sign and was meant for only one person!!! They lovingly hand-carried the piece to New York to Louise, and she promised to make a unique work to be shown at the gallery. 

In her 98th year, Self Portrait (2009) was presented at the gallery. Bourgeois created a clock of 24 hours, representing her life. The hands of the clock stand a 19h11 - the year of her birth. The 24 images placed at each hour reveal her history .... a self-portrait of memories ..... childhood, couple, maternity and family, and the themes of her art, are all etched in dry point and sewn to the linen.