Louise Bourgeois
Extrême tension
20 October 2026—21 February 2027
Bibliothèque National, Paris, France
From 20 October 2026 to 21 February 2027, the BnF Richelieu will host an exhibition entirely focused on Louise Bourgeois' graphic work: drawings, prints, portfolios, and artist's books. This is the first exhibition devoted to the artist in a Parisian public institution since 2008
A major figure in contemporary art, Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) built her work on the margins of the major movements that marked the 20th century — surrealism, abstract expressionism, minimalism — developing a deeply personal language that still exerts a profound influence on many artists.
Settling in New York in 1938, she discovered printmaking at Stanley William Hayter's Atelier 17 — a technique that, along with drawing, would become essential to her entire oeuvre. Printmaking, drawing, and sculpture nourish each other; words are inscribed in images; gestures are repeated like rituals.
In 1995, the National Museum of Modern Art – Centre Pompidou and the National Library of France dedicated two separate exhibitions to her graphic work, drawings on one side, engravings and books on the other. On this occasion, the National Library of France received an exceptional donation from the artist: around one hundred plates covering her entire output, a collection subsequently enriched by regular donations from the Amis de la BnF.
The Graphic Arts department at the Centre Pompidou acquired recent drawings, mainly from the 1990s, to which were added several consecutive donations from the artist, the Clarence Westbury Foundation and the American Friends of the Centre Pompidou.