Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress, and the Tangerine
Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine is a 2008 documentary about artist Louise Bourgeois. It was directed by Marion Cajori and Amei Wallach and released by Zeitgeist Films. The film is 99 minutes long and in English.
It follows Bourgeois in her studio and as she works on her installations, showing how her childhood and family shaped her art, especially her famous spider sculptures. Bourgeois, born in Paris, became a major figure in modern art and, in 1982 at age 71, earned the first major retrospective for a woman at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
Filmed with rare access from 1993 to 2007, the documentary offers a close look at her creative process and ideas. It includes excerpts from Laurie Anderson’s song O Superman, highlighting themes of motherhood that appear in her work. In the credits, Bourgeois performs her own song, Otte, which is heard during the film.
Critics responded positively, with about 92% of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes being favorable. The film was released on DVD on June 23, 2009.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:51 (CET).