Ode
À Ma Mère

Released in 1995, Ode À Ma Mère is a series of nine drypoint etchings by Louise Bourgeois that pays tribute to her mother, a central figure in her life and artistic narrative. Bourgeois, who developed an early passion for prints and book illustrations, turned to printmaking in the late 1930s after relocating from Paris to New York. Throughout her career, she used art as a means of navigating personal themes such as loneliness, anxiety, and psychological tension.

In the Ode À Ma Mère series, Bourgeois introduces the spider as a maternal symbol - an embodiment of her mother’s strength, intelligence, and protectiveness. She described her mother as “deliberate, clever, patient, soothing, reasonable, dainty, subtle, indispensable, neat,” and, like a spider, able to defend herself with quiet resilience. The spider, a recurring motif in Bourgeois’ work, represents not only maternal care but also the complex interplay of nurture and independence. Through this print series, Bourgeois transforms deeply personal emotions into evocative visual narratives, continuing her lifelong exploration of memory, gender, and psychological depth.