On November 10, 2015, Christie’s will sell Louise Bourgeois’ Spider (1997) at the auction house’s Post-War and Contemporary Sale to be held in New York City. It has been reported that the sculpture will have an estimate of $25 million to $35 million, which could lead to an even higher hammer price. As a result, Bourgeois may become the top-selling female artist of all time.
Bourgeois was a French born artist who immigrated to America in 1938. She is famous for her dramatic oversized sculptural work. Her spider series was a tribute to her mother. According to reports, Bourgeois has said “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.”
Last year around this time, Georgia O’Keeffe became the highest-selling woman in art as a result of the $44.4 million sale of O’Keeffe’s 1932, Jimson Weed, White Flower No. 1. According to reports, this O’Keeffe painting was on display in George W. Bush’s private dining room at the White House when he was in office. The painting was placed for auction by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico to benefit its acquisitions fund.
The top selling living female artist is Cady Noland for her screen-print Bluewald (1989), which sold this past May for nearly $9.8 million at Christie’s New York.
It will be interesting to see if Bourgeois’ Spider can oust O’Keeffe’s record. It would be even better if more living artists (particularly women artists) could enjoy fame and high art prices during their careers.