If you’ve visited SF MOMA anytime in the last few months, you’ve probably seen Louise Bourgeois’ huge spiders. I didn’t know Louis Bourgeois or her art very well until a recent visit to to the SF MOMA. Not the museum, the store! Don’t you love museum stores? My visit to the museum is never complete until I browse the store. So anyway, in my last visit there, I noticed this beautiful book, and was immediately taken by the beautiful illustrations, by Isabelle Arsenault (who I have since started following on Instagram, because her work is amazing!)
It’s a sweet little book about Louise Bourgeois’ childhood, but it’s one of those books that is actually an art book in disguise. It tells Bourgeois’ story in such a sensitive, beautifully drawn way, as if it was a children’s book, but for me, it’s a book about art.
The illustrations that accompany the story of Bourgeois’ background and history are absolutely stunning, so delicate and intimate and artistic.
I loved this page, obviously because of all the books she made, but also for the sentence “weaving was her way to make things whole”. I think you could replace “weaving” with “art”.
So that’s where the big spiders came from!
You can purchase the book here, or borrow it at your local library, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
Have you also come across children’s books that are actually art books? will you share some favorites in the comments below?
