Louise Bourgeois: Unwavering Resistance at the Belvedere
At the Belvedere Museum, the exhibition is dedicated to the renowned artist Louise Bourgeois and was opened with a festive vernissage. Present were the French ambassador Gilles Pécout, the general director of the Belvedere Stella Rollig, and the curators Sabine Fellner and Johanna Hofer.
The exhibition dedicated to Louise Bourgeois was vernissaged at the Belvedere Museum, attended by French Ambassador Gilles Pécout, Belvedere Director Stella Rollig, curators Sabine Fellner and Johanna Hofer. / Picture: © French and Austrian crossed flags by Vindobona
Ambassador Pécout highlighted Bourgeois' international influence but pointed out that her roots are deeply rooted in France, where she grew up in a family of upholsterers. Bourgeois, who delved deeply into the poetry of her childhood, has created a diverse and profound body of work that is difficult to categorize.
The exhibition, on view at the Lower Belvedere until January 28, 2024, presents Bourgeois's painterly oeuvre for the first time in Europe, placing her paintings of the 1940s in a dialogic context with later sculptures and graphic works. Despite her later international fame for monumental spider sculptures and large-scale cells, it was in her oil paintings between 1938 and 1949 that she developed her distinctive artistic style.
Louise Bourgeois, born in Paris in 1911 and died in New York in 2010, is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Despite living in New York for many years, her French roots and childhood memories remained a constant source of inspiration. Bourgeois' multi-layered body of work, ranging from drawings to expansive installations, addresses themes of love, fear, guilt, and reconciliation. Throughout her career, she has been honored with numerous prizes and awards, including the Venice Biennale's Golden Lion for lifetime achievement in 1999.
The exhibition at the Belvedere, curated by Sabine Fellner and Johanna Hofer, is a must-see for all art lovers and offers a deep insight into the impressive work of Louise Bourgeois.