Rome, two historic works by Louise Bourgeois on display at Villa Medici

To complement the exhibition Louise Bourgeois. The Unconscious of Memory, running at the Galleria Borghese until Sept. 15, 2024, Villa Medici - Academy of France in Rome presents two works by the artist: the installation No Exit and the tapestry Sainte Sébastienne in the Reading Room, exceptionally open to the public.

No Ex it (1989) recalls Louise Bourgeois’ childhood home, where as a child she took refuge in the stairwell to spy on her father. The staircase imagined by the artist leads nowhere, losing its practical function to acquire an almost spiritual dimension that invites reflection and introspection. Two wooden spheres are placed on either side of the steps, suggesting a phallic form, while two rubber hearts hidden under the ladder symbolize the role of love in human relationships.

The work enters into dialogue with another work by theFrench-American artist: the tapestry Sainte Sébastienne (1997), which belongs to the collections of the Mobilier national and has been kept at Villa Medici since 2022. This tapestry, woven by the Manufacture des Gobelins, is based on an intaglio made by Louise Bourgeois in 1992. The artist presents a female version of Saint Sebastian the Martyr, drawn with expressive synthesis: a generously shaped female body is pierced by black arrows shot from every direction. Bourgeois appropriates the traditional iconography of the Christian martyr to evoke her personal suffering. “Sainte Sébastienne is a self-portrait,” she asserted.

Louise Bourgeois’ two works are presented in the Reading Room. Rearranged in 2022 by Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi, the salon will be exceptionally accessible to the public.

Hours: Daily from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays.

Photo by Agostino Osio

Rome, two historic works by Louise Bourgeois on display at Villa Medici

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