National Galleries Edinburgh: Giant metal spider returning to Scottish modern art gallery after 12 years

The installation was last on show in Scotland in 2013

A 3m-tall metal spider is to make a return to a Scottish art gallery after 12 years as part of an exhibition that will also feature photography by American talent Robert Mapplethorpe.

Spider, by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois, will be on display at Modern One in Edinburgh from next month, in a free exhibition in the Artist Rooms series, cared for jointly by the National Galleries of Scotland and Tate.

The spider was previously on show at the gallery in 2013, as part of Artist Rooms exhibition Louise Bourgeois, A Woman Without Secrets. The artwork was also exhibited in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London. The creation was on display in Aberdeen last year.

As well as work by Ms Bourgeois and Mr Mapplethorpe, who is known for his black-and-white photographic images, and Helen Chadwick, the exhibition will also include paintings, drawings, prints and photography by artists such as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Sarah Lucas, Jasleen Kaur, Edvard Munch and Lee Miller.

Lucy Askew, chief curator, modern and contemporary art, said: “We’re delighted that from this July, visitors to Modern One can explore new, free displays from the nation’s collection. Art can be a source of insight and delight, helping us make sense of our place in the world.

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“At the heart of these displays will be presentations of works by Louise Bourgeois, Helen Chadwick and Robert Mapplethorpe, featured as part of our Artist Rooms collection. All three artists considered deeply what it is to be human, expressing this in dynamic, intriguing and often playful ways.”

Spider by Louise Bourgeois will return to Edinburgh. | National Galleries

She added: “Their art not only reflects shared experiences, bringing attention to the things that connect us, but also offers a window onto different perspectives. We hope visitors will be inspired by their vision and creativity, and by the work of the many other impressive and engaging artists featured. There is truly something for all to discover.”

Ms Bourgeois has been described as “one of the most influential artists of her generation”. Her career spanned eight decades, from the 1930s until 2010. Artworks included paintings and drawings, sculptures using fabric and rubber, and monumental installations.

As well as Spider, the display will also include two works on paper – 10am is When You Come to Me and Spirals, both created in 2005 – and a rare early painting, made by Bourgeois in 1946-7. A sculpture, Untitled, made when Ms Bourgeois was 85, will also go on display, representing a portrait of the artist’s aging body using clothes and undergarments she had worn during her lifetime.

One of the first female artists to be nominated for the Turner Prize in 1987, Ms Chadwick’s career was cut short by her death in 1996 aged just 42. Her work was marked by inventive transgression, questioning gender representation and the nature of desire.

Photography by Robert Mapplethorpe, pictured here in a self portrait, will also be on display. | National Galleries

The Artist Rooms programme and collection is managed by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland with the support of Art Fund, Henry Moore Foundation and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Creative Scotland.

Its founding collection was established through The d'Offay Donation in 2008, with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund and the Scottish and UK governments.