Maman, or giant spider, by Louise Bourgeois

Is bigger better when it comes to art? That’s one of the questions that Sarah Lees and Beth Bacon ponder in their discussion of the life and work of Louise Bourgeois. In this episode of Why'd They Put That in a Museum?, hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees focus on the sculpture Maman, an enormous metal sculpture of a spider. Bourgeois was in her 70s and 80’s when she increased the scale of her art and around that time, her work began to command significant attention in the contemporary art world. The Tate Museum in London acquired the giant spider sculpture called Maman when Bourgeois was 88 years old. This work represents the dynamics of Bourgeois's relationship with her mother.  The Bourgeois family ran a tapestry repair workshop in France. When she was a child, Louise's father invited his mistress to live with them, causing Louise to experienced intense and complex emotions. Bourgeois has stated that the spider represents a maternal figure, and represents to her themes of protection, trauma, and familial commitment. During her long career, Bourgeois had many connections to major art movements, without being identified directly with any of them. She was truly one of a kind. What is it like to walk under a 30-foot-tall steel spider? You can try it yourself at the Tate in London or the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Or you can imagine the scenario as you listen to this podcast. 

© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.