Maman, Bronze spider sculpture at Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
Maman is a bronze sculpture from the series of the same name, standing at the entrance to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The eight slender stainless steel legs rise nine meters into the air, while beneath the body hangs a sac holding 32 marble eggs.
Louise Bourgeois created the first version in 1999 as a commission for the Tate Modern in London for the Unilever Series. Later, several casts were made and placed in different locations around the world.
The French-American artist named the work after the French word for mother, and the eggs inside represent protection and fertility. Spiders weave webs just as Bourgeois' mother repaired tapestries, and this connection runs through the entire series.
Visitors can walk underneath the sculpture and view it from all sides, as it stands freely on the museum's forecourt. The best view of the eggs and body structure is from a short distance away.
Each leg curves outward in a wide arc, similar to the flying buttresses of Gothic cathedrals. This shape distributes the weight so that the thin steel tubes can support several tons.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
