Don’t Fear the Spider, Fear the Woman Behind the Spider

Documentary Offers Emotional Portrait of Feisty Artist Louise Bourgeois

By Alysse Dalessandro
Published: June 17th, 2009 | 1:20pm

Even someone with arachnophobia can appreciate the famed spider sculptures of Louise Bourgeois. At the age of 95, Bourgeois is regarded as one of the most important living female artists. In 1982, she became the first woman to have a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. Her work has also appeared in the London’s Tate Modern and the Guggenheim.

A new documentary, Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, The Mistress, and The Tangerine, by Marion Cajori and Amei Wallach (released on DVD in June 23, 2009), contains interviews with the artist between 1993 and 2007. The film is divided into three parts: “I do,” “I undo,” and “I redo.”

An emotionally raw portrait of an artist who is never afraid to speak her mind, the film contains many uncanny moments — including Bourgeois’ disagreements with the filmmakers themselves. At one point, they pull out the tape recorder to decide what was really said. When Bourgeois is asked questions, she often either chooses not to answer at all because “It’s obvious” or just talks about something else completely. She admits, “You have to read between the lines when I talk.” Bourgeois may have an edgy exterior, but like her art, she is not one-dimensional — the filmmakers show the teary-eyed artist discussing her childhood.

An eccentric character, Bourgeois describes her work in the "Red Room" while wearing a pink fur jacket with a rainbow sequined hat and carrying a red rose. The ensemble provides an odd contrast to her discussion of the color red — which she uses to symbolize blood and pain. For Bourgeois, creating her art is a fight. She demonstrates this through slapping her sculpture. She calls emotions her “demons” and transfers that energy to her work. She adds, “The work is for pleasure. I feel better after doing a piece.”

The film shows Bourgeois is not the only one taking pleasure from her art. Her assistant, Jerry Gorovoy discusses how pioneering she has been in discussing topics of gender and sexuality through art. While Robert Storr, Dean of Yale Art School, says, “She’s creating a world that’s more interesting than if she wasn’t there.” The Guerrilla Girls, art activists fighting discrimination, say that Bourgeois is their icon.

The documentary shows the artist’s inspirations, frustrations, words of wisdom, and offers a rare look at one of the great makers of modern sculpture. The film is available through Zeitgeist Video.