UNTITLED (No. 7)

Untitled (No. 7) explores themes of home, family, and security, echoing the journey of Aeneas from Virgil’s Aeneid.
Aeneas carries his father, Anchises, and leads his son, Ascanius, as they flee the flames of Troy, symbolizing familial bonds and the quest for belonging. Bourgeois’s work resonates with this journey in its abstract interpretation of home and family.

The house motif, central to Bourgeois’s career, represents both refuge and trap. Untitled (No. 7) fuses the body with domestic architecture, and symbolizes warmth and protection. The sculpture is in part a tribute to her close working relationship with her long-time assistant Jerry Gorovoy, whose hands encircle hers, with a small house on his forearm, suggesting the sanctuary of a happy home.

Bourgeois first worked with marble in Pietrasanta, Italy, in 1967. Regular visits to the Carrara quarries deepened her connection to the medium. Through the physicality of carving, Bourgeois imbues her works with psychological depth, enabling a deeper reflection on familial love, connection, and the search for home.

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