Louise Bourgeois Ode à Ma Mère (1995) – Limited Edition Drypoint Engravings Print for Sale

About the Artwork

Louise Bourgeois’ Ode à Ma Mère (1995) is a significant example of the artist’s deeply personal approach to printmaking, combining autobiographical themes, symbolic imagery, and poetic text within a carefully produced limited edition portfolio. Created in 1995, this important Louise Bourgeois print comprises a set of nine drypoint engravings with printed text by the artist, presented in the original linen portfolio.

Available as an HC (hors commerce) set aside from the standard book edition, this rare group of Louise Bourgeois etchings represents an exceptional opportunity for collectors seeking museum-quality prints by one of the most influential artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Bourgeois’ print editions occupy an important position within her wider artistic practice. Although best known for sculpture, including her monumental spider works and psychologically charged installations, her works on paper reveal an equally powerful exploration of memory, family, motherhood, trauma, and identity. Ode à Ma Mère is particularly significant because it directly addresses one of the central themes throughout Bourgeois’ career: the complex relationship between the artist and her mother.

This rare Louise Bourgeois artwork for sale is highly relevant for collectors building collections of contemporary prints, feminist art, and blue-chip contemporary art editions.

About Ode à Ma Mère

Ode à Ma Mère consists of nine drypoint engravings created by Louise Bourgeois in 1995. Each print incorporates the artist’s distinctive line work, where delicate incisions and expressive marks create imagery that feels both intimate and emotionally charged.

Drypoint was a particularly suited medium for Bourgeois because of its direct, physical nature. Unlike more mechanical forms of printmaking, drypoint allows the artist to work directly into the plate, producing lines with rich texture and expressive depth. The resulting prints retain the sense of immediacy found in Bourgeois’ drawings and sculptural studies.

The portfolio combines engraved imagery with printed text written by Bourgeois herself, creating a dialogue between visual symbolism and personal reflection. The relationship between image and language is central to the work, reinforcing themes that appear throughout her career: memory, protection, vulnerability, and the enduring influence of childhood experience.

The nine engravings are housed within the original linen portfolio produced by Les Éditions du Solstice, reflecting the high production standards associated with significant Louise Bourgeois editions.

The prints are:

• Drypoint engravings on paper

• Presented as a complete set of nine works

• Accompanied by printed text by Louise Bourgeois

• Contained within the original linen portfolio

This combination of rarity, craftsmanship, and autobiographical importance makes Ode à Ma Mère one of the most compelling Louise Bourgeois prints available to collectors.

About Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) occupies a unique position in modern and contemporary art history. Working across sculpture, installation, drawing, and printmaking, she developed a visual language focused on psychology, memory, relationships, and the human condition.

Often associated with Post-War art, feminist art, and contemporary sculpture, Bourgeois’ practice challenged traditional boundaries between personal experience and universal themes. Her work has been embraced by major international museums and institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, Tate, and Guggenheim Museum.

The themes explored in Ode à Ma Mère are central to Bourgeois’ artistic development. Her relationship with her mother, who worked in textile restoration, became a recurring source of inspiration. Ideas of repair, fragility, protection, and inheritance appear throughout her sculpture and works on paper.

Within the context of Louise Bourgeois editions, Ode à Ma Mère is particularly important because it demonstrates how the artist used printmaking not simply as reproduction, but as an original creative medium. Her prints are considered significant works in their own right and are actively collected alongside her sculptures and drawings.

About the Series

The Ode à Ma Mère portfolio belongs to Louise Bourgeois’ broader exploration of autobiographical imagery and the emotional complexity of family relationships.

The work reflects recurring motifs found throughout her career, including:

• Motherhood and maternal relationships

• Childhood memory

• The psychological impact of family history

• Protection and vulnerability

• The relationship between body and emotion

For collectors interested in Louise Bourgeois collector guides and contemporary print collecting, this portfolio provides a direct connection to one of the artist’s most important conceptual concerns.

Why This Work is So Collectable

• A significant late-career Louise Bourgeois edition – Created in 1995, Ode à Ma Mère belongs to an important period when Bourgeois’ international reputation was firmly established.

• Rare HC edition availability – This set is one of the 35 HC sets produced outside the standard book edition of 90 initialled copies, forming part of the total edition of 125.

• Museum-quality printmaking – The portfolio demonstrates Bourgeois’ mastery of drypoint engraving and her commitment to printmaking as a serious artistic practice.

• Direct connection to a defining theme – The work explores motherhood and memory, subjects central to Bourgeois’ entire career.

• Strong collector demand – Louise Bourgeois prints and editions continue to attract interest from international collectors seeking important works by major contemporary artists.

• Part of a blue-chip contemporary art market – Bourgeois remains one of the most influential female artists of the twentieth century, with sustained institutional and market recognition.

Louise Bourgeois' Art Market

Louise Bourgeois prints have developed a strong position within the international contemporary art market. Collectors increasingly seek works on paper and limited editions by major artists because they offer access to important artistic periods at a more attainable level than unique sculptures.

Demand for Louise Bourgeois etchings and print editions has grown alongside broader recognition of her contribution to contemporary art history. Her works are held in major museum collections worldwide, and her market is supported by sustained institutional exhibitions, scholarly attention, and collector interest.

Rare editions, particularly complete portfolios and examples with strong provenance, are especially sought after. Works connected to major themes in Bourgeois’ career, such as motherhood, memory, and identity, remain particularly relevant to collectors.

As a complete HC portfolio with original presentation materials, Ode à Ma Mère represents a compelling acquisition opportunity for collectors looking for museum-quality prints, modern art prints for sale, and significant contemporary editions.

Artwork Details

Artist: Louise Bourgeois

Artwork Title: Ode à Ma Mère

Year: 1995

Medium: Set of nine drypoint engravings with printed text by the artist

Edition: HC edition of 35 sets aside from the standard book edition of 90 initialled copies (125 overall)

Presentation: Original linen portfolio

Signatures: Initialled and numbered on the prints; signed and numbered on the colophon

Publisher: Les Éditions du Solstice

Category: Contemporary prints / Limited edition prints / Louise Bourgeois editions

Availability (Lougher Contemporary)

This rare Louise Bourgeois Ode à Ma Mère (1995) portfolio is available for acquisition through Lougher Contemporary.

Representing an important body of work from one of the defining artists of contemporary art, this limited edition drypoint portfolio offers collectors the opportunity to acquire a museum-quality Louise Bourgeois print with exceptional rarity, provenance, and artistic significance.

Explore related Louise Bourgeois prints, contemporary art editions, and works on paper available through Lougher Contemporary to build a focused collection of significant twentieth and twenty-first century artists.