Arch of Hysteria

Louise Bourgeois created the Arc of Hysteria in 1993; the sculpture is made of bronze with silver nitrate patina. This sculpture is suppose to represent the physical tension of the hysterical arch, which is an intense muscle contraction resulting in immobility and paralysis of the limbs; this is the performance that happens during hysteria. This attitude was typically associated with females, however, Bourgeois used a male figure and suspended him from the ceiling, putting him in an even more vulnerable position. I think Bourgeois was trying to rid the misconception that hysteria was a female ailment.