Louise Bourgeois' 'Maman'
 

A number of years ago, I came across a documentary on this artist, a little after she finished this work in 1999. It's a steel and marble sculpture of a spider, measuring 30 feet high and 33 feet wide, commissioned for the Tate Modern, London:

http://blog.tate.org.uk/?p=668

According to the artist,

“The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother.”

It shows what a sad Tolkien fan I am; because I instantly thought of Shelob when I first saw a picture of Maman! :D What do people think?

Quite frankly, I find a spider of that size scary, not comforting! But it's interesting that, like Tolkien's spiders, it is a female.

I saw it in Tate Modern some years ago. Then it was placed in that huge dark entrance-hall and was quite impressive. If you have ever visited Tate Modern you can imagine it there...

On another note, Louise Bourgeois was a fascinating artist - kind of a crazy woman, but full of fire and brimstone even when she was nearing 90 years. (I think she died in 2010 or something)