Destruction of the Father Reconstruction of the Father: Writings and Interviews, 1923-1997 (Writing Art) - Softcover

Bourgeois, Louise

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0262522462 ISBN 13: 9780262522465

Publisher: MIT Press, 1998

Synopsis

edited by Marie-Laure Bernadac and Hans-Ulrich Obrist"Everyday you have to abandon your past or accept it and then if youcannot accept it, you become a sculptor."Since the age of twelve, the internationally renowned sculptor LouiseBourgeois has been writing and drawing;first a diary preciselyrecounting the everyday events of her family life, then notes andreflections. Destruction of the Father;the title comes fromthe name of a sculpture she did following the death of her husband in1973;contains both formal texts and what the artist calls"pen-thoughts": drawing-texts often connected to her drawings andsculptures, with stories or poems inscribed alongside the images.Writing is a means of expression that has gained increasing importancefor Bourgeois, particularly during periods of insomnia. The writing iscompulsive, but it can also be perfectly controlled, informed by herintellectual background, knowledge of art history, and sense ofliterary form (she has frequently published articles on artists,exhibitions, and art events). Bourgeois, a private woman "withoutsecrets," has given numerous interviews to journalists, artists, andwriters, expressing her views on her oeuvre, revealing its hiddenmeanings, and relating the connection of certain works to the traumasof her childhood. This book collects both her writings and her spokenremarks on art, confirming the deep links between her work and herbiography and offering new insights into her creative process.

About this title

Synopsis

Sculptor Louise Bourgeois has been writing and drawing since the age of 12. The title of this book comes from the name of a sculpture Bourgeois created following the death of her husband in 1973. The book contains both formal texts and what the artist calls "pen-thoughts" - drawing-texts often connected to her drawings and sculptures, with stories or poems inscribed alongside the images. Bourgeois's writing is informed by her intellectual background, knowledge of art history and sense of literary form. The book collects both her writings and her spoken remarks on art, underlining the links between her work and her biography and offering insight into her creative process.

About the Author

Hans Ulrich Obrist is a Swiss-born curator and writer. He is the co-director of exhibitions and programs and the co-director of international projects at the Serpentine Galleries, London. His previous books include "A Brief History of Curating";" "A" Brief History of New Music";" Everything You Always Wanted to Ask About Curating But Were Afraid to Ask";" Sharp Tongues, Loose Lips, Open Eyes, Ears to the Ground;" "Ai Weiwei Speaks", " "and nearly thirty volumes of his Conversation Series of interviews with contemporary artists.

Edition details

• Publisher: MIT Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262522462
• ISBN 13: 9780262522465
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384
• Editor: Bernadac Marie-Louise, Obrist Hans-Ulrich