The first comprehensive biography of artist Louise Bourgeois brings to life the story and work of this iconic 20th-century artist with focused insight.

Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) was one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. She is known for her entire body of work, which includes sculpture, painting, and printmaking, but does not fit into any specific aesthetic category. Her life and art were so intertwined that it is often difficult to distinguish between them. In her own words: “Sculpture is the body. My body is sculpture.”

Her biography by Marie-Laure Bernadac traces the career of this remarkable artist, her education, and influences, while telling the story of an extraordinary woman. It includes personal photographs as well as reproductions of her work, and is the first major biography drawing from the artist’s unpublished personal archives, including diaries, correspondence, and psychoanalytic writings, along with numerous interviews and memories of those who knew her.

Bernadac sheds light on Bourgeois’s friendships and conflicts with other notable figures, including sculptor Louise Nevelson and Museum of Modern Art director Alfred H. Barr Jr. She also draws on Bourgeois’s well-known engagement with psychoanalysis to explore the deeply autobiographical nature of her work. This interpretive and insightful biography honors the artist’s talent and the complexity of her personality.

Pages: 472, Year of Publication: 0330, Dimensions: 15.6x15.6cm