Louise Bourgeois
1911-2010 · French-American · Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Feminist Art, Contemporary sculpture
Biography
Louise Bourgeois (1911 to 2010) was born in Paris, grew up in a family of tapestry restorers and moved to New York in 1938. For decades she worked at the margins of Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, carving totemic figures and casting organic forms that explore memory, the body and family trauma. Recognition came late, with a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1982, followed by the Cells of the 1990s and the monumental Spider sculptures, a tribute to her mother. For the market she is one of the most valued women artists at auction: large bronze Spiders, produced in small editions, set the top prices, while drawings, prints and smaller sculptures provide steady supply. Her record was set at Sotheby's New York in May 2023.
Recent auction results
| Sleep (1967)Christie's, Paris | $195K | Apr 16, 2026 | heni.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| Untitled (House #5) (1994)Sotheby's, London | $111K | Mar 5, 2026 | heni.com |
Market
- Liquidity: Medium
Museums
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Tate Modern, London
- Centre Pompidou, Paris
- Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
- National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Sources
- HENI News, Spider record
- Masterworks, Louise Bourgeois
- Sotheby's, Louise Bourgeois
- HENI News, Sleep
- HENI News, Untitled (House #5)
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