Special Exhibition
ARTIST ROOMS Louise Bourgeois
22 March - 25 June 2023
Explore the work of legendary artist Louise Bourgeois in this first major presentation of her work in Dorset.
Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) is one of the most celebrated and influential figures in modern and contemporary art. ARTIST ROOMS Louise Bourgeois brings together works from the last twenty years of her life, a period of extraordinary creativity, alongside a small number of earlier pieces from her remarkable seven-decade career. A sculptor of immense distinction, her extraordinary and inventive work received international acclaim in her lifetime. She is perhaps best known for the large-scale spider sculptures that she produced in the last decades of her life, including the one she created for the opening of Tate Modern in 2000.
Bourgeois’s art was closely bound up with her life, and she used art-making to express and investigate her experiences and memories. Ranging from large-scale sculpture and installation to painting and textiles, her art often explores the same ideas in different forms, with an unflinching emotional honesty. Bourgeois’s work is both autobiographical and universal. Using a variety of materials, she gives shape to themes of childhood, family, isolation, sexuality and gender identity, with a focus on the human form and emotional experience.
“I am not what I am, I am what I do with my hands…”
Louise Bourgeois
ARTIST ROOMS is a touring collection of international modern and contemporary art. Its national programme reaches audiences across the UK and is developed through local partnerships. ARTIST ROOMS presents the work of individual artists in solo exhibitions. The exhibitions draw from a national collection jointly owned by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland that includes major bodies of work by international artists. ARTIST ROOMS gives young people the chance to get involved in creative projects, to discover more about art and artists, and learn new skills.
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 British Governments.
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Opening hours:
Daily: 9.00am - 4.30pm
Sunday: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Bank Holidays: 10.00am - 4.00pm -
Admissions:
10% discount for Adult and Young Person Unlimited Ticket booked online using discount code DM01
BOOK ONLINE SAVE 10% -
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What's on
21 July - 29 October 2023
Nature Heals | Photography by Trevor Parsons
Dorset Museum and Dorchester Arts co-present Nature Heals, an exhibition of nature photography by Trevor Parsons.
Find out more21 July - 29 October 2023
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the world-famous exhibition from the Natural History Museum, is coming to Dorset Museum this summer.
Find out more6 October 2023, 10:00am -1:00pm,
Creative Journeys Through Time | 6 week art workshop with Helen Garrett
Designed for adults interested in art, prehistory and archaeology, and running as a six-week block, this course is an exciting opportunity to get up close with some extraordinary artefacts in the collection at Dorset Museum.
Find out more9 October 2023, 2:00pm to 4:30pm
Life Drawing at Dorset Museum – Eight-week course led by James Meiklejohn
This eight-week structured course is suitable for complete beginners to those with some experience.
Find out more10 October 2023, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Wildlife friendly gardening | Mitch Perkins
Would you like to make your garden more wildlife friendly? Join Mitch Perkins to find out how.
Find out more19 October 2023, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
FREE | Museum After Hours
Join us for an opportunity to explore the Museum at this FREE late opening.
Find out more19 October 2023, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Real Dorset | Jon Woolcott
In this lecture, let Jon Woolcott take you on an amusing whistle-stop tour through some of the discoveries and oddities that make Dorset unique.
Find out more25 October 2023, 2:00pm - 2:45pm
Collections Discovery Centre Tour
Join our Collections Team for an opportunity to explore behind the scenes in the Museum’s Collections Discovery Centre.
Find out more27 October 2023 5:00pm-9:00pm
Museums After Dark 2023
Discover three incredible Dorchester museums on one unforgettable night.
Find out moreYour visit
“Thank you for a beautiful, inspiring and thought-provoking exhibition - wonderfully displayed and interpreted. An absolute joy in Dorchester! - Anon”
“Thank you for such a good exhibition - Anon”
“Caused me to reflect on my own ideas regarding sex, gender and other aspects. It's fascinating the ways in which the mind can be expressed. Also a perfect balance between artwork and info presented. Thank you. - Anon”
“Wonderful to see the work of such a renown artist in Dorchester. Powerful imagery, beautifuly presented. -Anon”
“The use of shape and form to represent emotions was interesting to experience. The mentality of the work can only be appreciated by seeing the works first hand - photos in books never capture it. An inspiring visit thank you. - Anon”