Louise Bourgeois: Alone and Together

Alone and Together accompanies two retrospective exhibitions on Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) curated by her personal assistant and friend, Jerry Gorovoy. As the title of this publication--taken from Bourgeois’ gouache diptych of the same name--indicates, the artist’s lifelong creative and personal trajectory was determined by the need to, as Gorovoy puts it, "alleviate a core experience of abandonment." Her works take their point of departure from her most meaningful relationships--parents, children and partners--and thus focus on abiding themes of birth, childhood, family and motherhood, the rejections of lovers and other abandonments. Produced over seven decades, the works in this publication demonstrate Bourgeois’ broad use of materials and scale: from her hanging aluminum sculptures and "cell" installations to her iconic spider sculptures and series of feathery gouache diptychs on paper.