4. # AR LOUISE BOURGEOIS (1911-2010) Ode à ma mère - copy with suite, 1995 (Moma, no. 4a-12a) Paris, Les Editions du Solstice, 1995 In-4 square, in sheets, in a publisher's beige cloth folder and slipcase, with a soft-folded front cover. illustrated with : 9 drypoints by Louise Bourgeois, signed, monogrammed and numbered "7/90" by the artist, A suite of 9 drypoints on handmade Dieu Donné paper, all signed, dated and numbered "7/45". Total edition of 125 copies, this one of 90 nominative copies reserved for members of Éditions du Solstice, numbered and signed by the artist (n°7) Of which only 45 copies with the signed suite signed by the artist on the colophon Published by Les Éditions du Solstice under the direction of Jean-Claude Meyer Printed by harlan & weaver Intaglio, New York Each plate: 30 x 30 cm the book: 32.5 x 32 x 5 cm Provenance Collection of a Parisian bibliophile First edition of Louise Bourgeois's text written in homage to her mother, symbolised by a spider, "Ode à ma mère" takes up the theme of motherhood that Bourgeois continued to explore throughout her career. The work includes metaphors of spinning, weaving, caring and protecting. Louise Bourgeois's mother, Joséphine Bourgeois, repaired tapestries in her husband's textile restoration workshop in Paris. Louise Bourgeois lost her mother when she was 21 and, a few days later, attempted to end her life by throwing herself into the Bièvre in front of her father (who rescued her). In the artist's own words: "L'araignée is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the tapestry restoration business and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very intelligent. Spiders are friendly creatures that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread disease and are therefore undesirable. So spiders are beneficial and protective, just like my mother. "The spider is my mother, both victims of their fragility and smallness, the coquetry of the lace matching the web" (Louise Bourgeois: sculptures, environnements, dessins, 1938-1995, p. 218).