When I want to find out information about an artist I prefer to read their own thoughts about their life and art rather than reading critical essays about them by Art Historians and other experts. In this respect, 'Destruction of the Father / Reconstruction of the Father' is a very important anthology of writings by Louise Bourgeois that also includes interviews the artist gave over a period of seven decades.
The thing I like most about the book is that it is an eclectic collection that includes personal correspondence, autobiographical fragments, published artist statements and transcripts of interviews. Aside from the usual assortment of fully referenced, quotable extracts that would be very useful for those studying the work of this brilliant artist, I was most excited to discover reproductions in the book of a selection of little known fine-press publications written and illustrated by Bourgeois in the late 1940s. It was wonderful to see the series of grim parable sequences written and illustrated by Bourgeois reprinted alongside her later commentary about the texts.
I thoroughly recommend this book as essential reading for any Louise Bourgeois enthusiast. I, for one, am very pleased to own a copy.
