MUMBLINGBEAUTY

Anintimate,powerfulportraitofLouiseBourgeoisinthefinalyearsofherlifeFrom2008to2010LouiseBourgeoisallowedAlexVanGelderintoherprivateworld―herstudioandhome―andindulgedhislens,whilesheworked,rested,waited―mischievous,orlostinthought,wearyofdecrepitude,raging,defianttotheend.Shefillsthecamerawithherpresence.Itisaprofoundportraitofanartistoftheutmostconsequenceandapiercingstudyofextremeage.LouiseBourgeoiswasoneofthelastsurvivingartistsofthehighmodernistera,andherearlyworkanticipatedwhatwouldcomeinthelatemodernandpostmoderneras,includingminimalism,installationart,andbodyart.However,shedidnotachievefameuntilafterherseventiethyear,discoveredandheraldedbyanewgeneration.Oncediscovered,herreputationgrewinthe1980s,’90s,and2000swithanarrayofmajorinternationalexhibitionsandaburstofcreativity.Throughout,herartisconfessional,psychological,andfraughtwithfear,anger,andsexuality.VanGelder’scollaborativeportraitisinmanywaysamessagefromBourgeoistotheworld,herchosenepitaph,scrawledinherownwaybygesture,expression,andposture.Despitethefrailtyanddecrepitudeofhernearonehundredyears,shedefieshervulnerability.81colorphotographs