The Resume

(December 25, 1911-May 31, 2010)
Born in Paris, France
Sculptor and painter
Moved to New York City (1938)
Best-known work is Maman (1999), a 30-foot tall stainless steel structure resembling a spider, and its many bronze casts
Other sculptures include 'Paddle Woman' (1947), 'Persistent Antagonism' (1949), 'The Blind Leading the Blind' (1949), 'Clutching' (1962), 'Unconscious Landscape' (1968), 'Nature Study' (1984), 'Cells' (25 sculptures, 1992-2001) and 'Father and Son' (2004)
Subject of the documentary film 'Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine' (2008)

Why she might be annoying:

She has spent her entire life obsessing over her father sleeping with the governess and her mother's refusal to acknowledge the affair.
She suffered from depression and agoraphobia.
She said the spirals in many of her works make her think of strangling someone.
Her art attracted little attention until she was 70.
She told an interviewer, 'I don't care about the public. I don't believe in communication.'

Why she might not be annoying:

She incorporated a wide range of influences into her art, making her impossible to pigeonhole.
She was the first woman to have a major retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art (1982).
She said of her belated recognition, 'It could have come earlier, but it's better than nothing at all.'
One critic wrote, 'One has the impression that the older she gets, the younger and more energetic she becomes. People are stunned that someone of her age can be so contemporary.' (1997)

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• ARTNews' Most Influential Artists of the 20th Century
• Born on Christmas Day [December 25th] (Ranked: 1911)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 25]
• Celebrities Born on the Same Date [December] (Ranked: 12251911)
• Fear of Open Spaces - Agoraphobic
• I Have Insomnia
• I'm Depressed [Reportedly Uni-polar]
• Look at Me, My Picture Is Art
• National Women's Hall of Fame (Ranked: 2009)
• Profiles 27251-27500 (Ranked: 27435)
• Sculptors

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 10 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 18 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying