Maman is a sculpture of a spider by Louise Bourgeois, created in 1999. It was Bourgeois's inaugural commission for the Unilever Series at Tate Modern in London in 2000. The original was steel, and six bronze castings followed. The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa acquired one in 2004 for $3.2 million.
The sculpture measures about 30.4 by 29.2 by 33.6 feet (9.27 by 8.91 by 10.24 meters). It combines bronze, stainless steel and marble. The spider's abdomen and thorax are rubbed bronze.
Under the body hangs a sac of 32 marble eggs. Because six bronze castings were made, the work exists in more than one place. The article does not name an architect or an artistic style.
Comments