By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — Influential artist Louise Bourgeois, famous for her abstract works that influenced a younger generations of female artists, died in Manhattan on Monday at the age of 98.
The French-born, New York City-based sculptor, who earned recognition for her evocative and sexually explicit pieces, reportedly died of a heart attack in Manhattan.
Bourgeois’ popularity grew later in her career following a highly successful retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1982, the New York Times reported.
She then represented the United States at the 1993 Venice Biennale at a time when female artists were considered less than their male counterparts, the paper said.
He work drew on multiple themes — from birth and death to female sexuality — including Bourgeois’ own traumatic childhood experiences, the Associated Press reported.
One of her more visible works, “Maman,” featured a 30-foot-tall spider that was exhibited at the Rockefeller Center plaza for nearly three months in 2001.
"Tell your own story, and you will be interesting," said Bourgeois, when asked what advice she would give young artists just starting out, in a 2008 interview with the AP.
"Don't get the green disease of envy. Don't be fooled by success and money. Don't let anything come between you and your work," she told the AP.
A private funeral service had reportedly been planned for family members.
