Louise Bourgeois: The Secret of the Cells

Now available in an updated and expanded edition, this survey of an essential series in the art of Louise Bourgeois serves as an introduction to her influential work. In her work, Bourgeois used materials ranging from rubber, wood, fabric, and metal to glass, paper, cement, and marble, through which the stories of her own life resonated with the lives of others. This generously illustrated book presents the complete cycle of “Cell” installations from the 1990s until a short time before Bourgeois's death in 2010. In these contained environments Bourgeois reflected on the human tendency toward isolation and her own memories. The book also places this work in the context of Bourgeois's life as an artist, including her youth as the daughter of Parisian textile workers, her studies with Fernand Leger, and her experiences with the leading artists of the New York School in the 40s and 50s.