Maman is the giant spider sculpture created by Louise Bourgeois.
Bourgeois made Maman in 1999 as a monumental tribute to her mother, Joséphine Bourgeois, who worked as a tapestry restorer. The title means “Mom” or “Mummy” in French. The spider carries a sac containing 32 marble eggs beneath its abdomen, connecting the creature’s threatening scale with ideas of protection, fertility, and maternal care.
The sculpture is more than 9 metres tall and was first presented as part of the Unilever Series at Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in London in 2000. Multiple bronze and stainless-steel versions were produced, and examples are held or displayed by institutions including the National Gallery of Canada and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
Bourgeois repeatedly used spiders in her art. She associated them with her mother’s patience, intelligence, and protective work, although the spider could also evoke fear and vulnerability. Maman is therefore both an imposing public monument and an intensely personal memorial.