Spider
1996, cast 1997
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
bronze with silver nitrate patina
Dimensions
overall: 281.9 x 833.1 x 792.5 cm (111 x 328 x 312 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Accession Number
1997.136.1
Art Historical Context
Louise Bourgeois's *Spider* (1996, cast 1997) is a monumental bronze sculpture that commands attention with its immense scale—measuring over 8 meters (328 inches) in width and rising more than 2.8 meters (111 inches). Crafted in bronze with a striking silver nitrate patina, patina lends the surface a shimmering, almost ethereal quality, contrasting the spider's imposing form and emphasizing its delicate, web-like legs. Installed in the National Gallery of Art's CMC department, it was generously gifted by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, allowing visitors to experience Bourgeois's v...