Jesse James
The artist Louise Bourgeois returns with some big news. The artist created several massive steel spiders, one of which sold for $40m USD at Art Basel in Switzerland. The work was created in 1996 as part of Bourgeouis’ spider series. The massive spider is rooted in memory. The artist once stated: “The Spider is an ode to my mother.” She added, “She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. … Spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother.”
The French-American artist passed away in 2010 and first explored the spider back in 1947. The artist saw the arachnid as a metaphor for her creative process. In celebration of the gallery’s 30th anniversary, Hauser & Wirth President Marc Payot hailed ‘Spider’ as an “icon of 20th-century art.” The sculpture was sold to a private collector yesterday and became one of the most lucrative sales by a woman artist in history.
Take a closer look at the creation in the images and find out more from Hauser & Wirth. In the meantime, keep it locked with The Culture Curators for more art news, releases, and exhibitions coming soon.
Photos via Stefan Altenburger/Attilio Altenburger, Frederic Delpech/Hauser & Wirth
