Louise Bourgeois at Villa Medici and Galleria Borghese

A fundamental artistic figure of the 20th century who escapes any classification and label, Louise Bourgeois (1911, Paris – 2010, New York) influenced countless artists with her work marked mainly by the themes of memory, childhood and metamorphosis. From 21 June to 15 September in Rome, the Galleria Borghese will dedicate an exhibition to her entitled Louise Bourgeois. The unconscious of memory, which at Villa Medici will have its extension with the No Exit installation, presented for the occasion in the historic halls until 5 September.

No Exit evokes the childhood home in which Louise Bourgeois, as a child, used to take refuge under the stairs to spy on her father. The staircase imagined by the artist leads nowhere, it loses its functional aspect to take on an almost spiritual dimension that invites reflection and introspection. Two wooden spheres are arranged on the sides of the steps, suggesting a phallic shape, while two rubber hearts hidden under the staircase claim the place of love in human relationships.