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LOUISE BOURGEOIS Two retrospective exhibitions delve into this sculptor’s many themes
W ith a career that covered most of the 20th century, the late French-American artist Louise Bourgeois is such a decisive and significant figure in the contemporary landscape that her retrospective in Edinburgh will require two major shows to support it. At the Fruitmarket (the first gallery to show Bourgeois’ work in Edinburgh nearly a decade ago) is I Give Everything Away, a selection of works on paper that includes her 220-piece, sleeplessness-combating ‘Insomnia Drawings’ series.
At the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, meanwhile, is A Woman Without Secrets, a major retrospective of Bourgeois’ later career, which will feature works including ‘Couple I’ (1996), the hanging fabric sculpture of conjoined physicality; ‘A l’Infini’ (2009), a multi-part suite of 16 drawings; and ‘Untitled’ (2010), a meditation on mortality from the year she died, with its soft bodily
sculpture made from blankets and berets, which the artist wore throughout her life. ‘Bourgeois’ work often deals with the ambiguous forces that drive emotional life,’ says SNGMA’s senior curator Lucy Askew. ‘Key themes in the exhibition include the body, relationships, motherhood and the cycles of life. Across a career spanning seven decades she was a bridge between modern and contemporary art practice, and throughout her life she consistently challenged conventional means of making art and created works on her own terms. These sculptures, installations and drawings express a distinct visual language, and confront the viewer in a direct and powerful way.’ (David Pollock)
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, Sat 26 Oct–Sun 18 May; Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Sat 26 Oct–Sun 23 Feb.
✽ Dan Colen: The Illusion of Life The first show in Scotland for the former bad
boy of the Manhattan art scene, for which he’s created a whole new set of flower paintings. See preview, page 112. Inverleith House, Edinburgh, until Sat 5 May.
✽ Louise Bourgeois: A Woman Without Secrets / I Give Everything
Away See preview, left. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, Sat 26 Oct– Sun 18 May; Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Sat 26 Oct–Sun 23 Feb.
✽ Roman Ondák: Some Thing The Slovakian artist presents a series of still- lifes he painted as a teenager, placing them beside the original object the work was taken from. See preview, page 114. The Common Guild, Glasgow, until Sat 14 Dec.
✽ Allan Ramsay at 300 Fascinating insight
into the work of one of Scotland’s most celebrated artists. See preview, page 112. Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 9 Feb.
✽ Convocation: Colm Cille’s Spiral Group exhibition by artists from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Skye and Galway resulting from a residency on Raasay. See preview, page 112. Glasgow School of Art, until Fri 1 Nov.
✽ Andy Warhol: Pop, Power and Politics
Curated with the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and supported by the Carnegie UK Trust, this is the first time Warhol’s work has been shown in a parliament building anywhere in the world. The exhibition includes iconic images of the Queen, Lenin and Mao. The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, until Sun 3 Nov.
17 Oct–14 Nov 2013 THE LIST 111