Louise Bourgeois (1911 – 2010), born in Paris, France, was a renowned American-French artist of the 20th century. She studied mathematics at the Sorbonne in Paris before enrolling in the École des Beaux-Arts under the tutelage of Fernand Léger. She immigrated to the United States in 1938 and settled in New York. While underappreciated early in her career, Bourgeois gained fame after a 1982 retrospective exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Bourgeoise passed away in May 2010.
Bourgeois is widely recognized for her large-scale sculptural works, but explored a variety of mediums such as printmaking and painting throughout her life. Her oeuvre explores themes of domesticity, death, sexuality, and the unconscious. Her work is often associated with Surrealism and Feminist art, however, Bourgeois was not affiliated with any specific artists- movement or group. Today, her work can be found in the collections of Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Kunstmuseum Basel, and others.