The Welcoming Hands

The Welcoming Hands is a group of five bronze sculptures positioned on the terrace near Jeu de Paume in the Tuileries Gardens. Each piece features intertwined hands mounted on granite pedestals at varying heights, allowing visitors to view them from multiple angles.

Louise Bourgeois created this artwork in the 1990s, and the French government acquired it in 2000 for the National Fund for Contemporary Art. It joined the permanent collection in the Tuileries Gardens following this acquisition.

The sculptures display hands supporting and holding one another, conveying a sense of togetherness through their forms. Visitors experience this message of mutual care directly when observing how the fingers and palms interact with each other.

The sculptures are easily accessible while walking through the garden paths near the Jeu de Paume area. Viewing them from different angles and distances around each pedestal helps reveal the details and design of the interlinked hands.

Louise Bourgeois modeled the bronze sculptures using her own hands and those of her friend Jerry Gorovoy. This personal connection gives the artwork an intimate quality that goes beyond what the forms alone reveal.

GPS coordinates: 48.86530,2.32295

Latest update: December 14, 2025 14:42