Louise Bourgeois

A major artistic figure of the 20th century, Louise Bourgeois (1911, Paris – 2010, New York) has influenced many artists with a body of work traversed by themes of memory, childhood and metamorphosis. No Exit evokes the childhood home where Louise Bourgeois used to take refuge under the stairs to spy on her father. The staircase imagined by the artist leads nowhere, and loses its functional aspect to take on an almost spiritual dimension, inviting reflection and introspection. Two wooden spheres are placed on either side of the steps, suggesting a phallic form, while two rubber hearts concealed beneath the staircase invoke the place of love in human relationships. The installation No Exit (1989) resonates with another work by the Franco-American artist, exhibited in the historic salons of Villa Medici, which is inhabited by reflections on the body and memory: the tapestry Sainte Sébastienne (1997), belonging to the collections of the Mobilier national, on deposit at Villa Medici since 2022.
This tapestry, woven by the Manufacture des Gobelins, is based on an intaglio engraving created by Louise Bourgeois in 1992. It features a female version of the martyr Saint Sebastian, depicted with great economy of means: a body with generous curves is riddled with black arrows coming from all sides. Louise Bourgeois hijacks the traditional iconography of the Christian martyr to evoke her personal suffering. “Sainte Sébastienne is a self-portrait”, she declared. The two works by Louise Bourgeois are presented in the Salon de lecture, refurbished in 2022 by Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi.

Practical information

Guided tour ticket from Villa Medici with access to exhibitions: €14 full price / €11 reduced price / Free on condition
Guided tour of the gardens, the historic apartments of Villa Medici and the works of Louise Bourgeois (duration: 1h30). Tour times can be found on the Individual Tours page.
This ticket gives access to all four current exhibitions. Works by Louise Bourgeois are accessible only on the guided tour.

As part of the Esistere come Donna program, which accompanies the exhibition Louise Bourgeois. Unconscious memories Villa Medici welcomed artist Mâkhi Xenakis, a close friend of Louise Bourgeois, and author Laura Accerboni for a free meeting entitled Tenendo per mano l’ombra. Philosophy and poetry, around the exhibition “Louise Bourgeois. Unconscious memories “.

About the exhibition Louise Bourgeois. Unconscious Memories at the Galleria Borghese

Organized by Galerie Borghese in collaboration with The Easton Foundation, the exhibition is the artist’s first retrospective in Rome. Curated by Cloé Perrone, Geraldine Leardi and Philip Larratt-Smith, it presents some twenty works and invites visitors to explore Louise Bourgeois’ major contribution to twentieth-century sculpture, in relation to the historical collections and architectural heritage of the Galerie Borghese. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog and guide published by Marsilio Arte. Curators: Cloé Perrone, Geraldine Leardi and Philip Larratt-Smith Exhibition organized in collaboration with The Easton Foundation.