What does it mean to be a mum? These works celebrate motherhood and maternal bonds, all seen through the eyes of artists. Scroll for some of our favourites.
5 Artworks that Capture the Power of Motherhood
Discover moving stories of motherhood told through art
Louise Bourgeois Maman 1999Photograph: Marcus Leith and Andrew Dunkley, Tate Photography© The estate of Louise Bourgeois
Louise Bourgeois’ Maman (1999) (French for ‘mother’) reflects the complexities of mother-child relationships. The sculpture refers to her own mother, an industrious seamstress who worked for the family tapestry restoration business. The towering giant spider, a symbol of motherhood, looms threateningly over the space as she carries and protects seventeen marble eggs in her under-body sac.
'The friend (the spider – why the spider?) because my best friend was my mother and she was deliberate, clever, patient, soothing, reasonable, dainty, subtle, indispensable, neat, and as useful as a spider.'
– Louise Bourgeois
Mother’s Pride, Hackney (1976, printed 2012) by Dennis Morris
Dennis Morris
‘Mother’s Pride’, Hackney
(1976, printed 2012)
Tate
Jamaican-born British photographer Dennis Morris captured a poignant moment in a Black family's life in 1970s Dalston, London. Here we see a smartly dressed mother and her two children at home, with her eyes full of emotion as she gazes tenderly at her young daughter.
Despite the harsh realities of racism and poverty that came with life in the UK at the time, Morris clearly captures a sense of pride in the home and a desire to belong. The photo’s title was taken from a well-known brand of sliced bread.
The Painter’s Mother IV (1973) by Lucian Freud
Lucian Freud
The Painter’s Mother IV
(1973)
Tate
Lucian Freud’s mother Lucie was a regular figure in his art. He painted eighteen portraits of her between 1972 and 1984. In that time she sat for around 1000 hours to pose for her son’s portraits. After the death of his father Ernst Freud, Lucie suffered from depression.
The Painter’s Mother IV (1973) captures a sadness in Lucie’s somber expression, which is enhanced by the use of heavy grey and brown colours throughout the painting. But there is also a careful tenderness in her ageing skin and downcast eyes. Perhaps he saw in her face memories of happier days.
Susan, Aarti, Keerthana and Princess, Sunday in Brooklyn (2018) by Aliza Nisenbaum
Aliza Nisenbaum Susan, Aarti, Keerthana and Princess, Sunday in Brooklyn 2018. Courtesy the artist and Anton Kern Gallery, New York/© Aliza Nisenbaum
This vibrant portrait of a modern, two-mother family shows a couple and their mixed-heritage daughters. The family are relaxing on a Sunday in their apartment in Brooklyn, New York. The scene feels cosy and warm with the sitters cuddling together as they gaze up at the viewer.
Aliza Nisenbaum first met Susan while completing a residency for Immigrant Women Leaders in 2015. The artist got to know the family, who she said, ‘came together through immigration, adoption, and New York City and are deeply committed to social justice and racial equity – both women have devoted their careers to advancing education and human rights.’
Infant (1929) by Barbara Hepworth
Barbara Hepworth’s first son Paul was born in 1929 and she carved this striking dark wood sculpture of a baby that year. The infant is posed in a natural sleeping position (surely inspired as she kept a close watch over her son), but Hepworth has the baby sleeping upright, not lying down as the viewer might expect.
Paul soon became a big brother when Hepworth gave birth to triplets in 1934. She believed that ‘being a mother enriches an artist’s life’, though no doubt it was a challenge to continue to create art as she balanced being a busy mother of four.
See these works and many more in Ann Coxon’s Motherhood, available now in Tate Shop
