Leave it to Brooklyn Beat of the blog Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn to unearth this interesting Brooklyn factoid about 96-year-old artist Louise Bourgeois, who currently has a big show at the Guggenheim Museum. You can read more on his blog (and there are some great links). Here’s an excerpt.

"According to
the current exhibit’s notes, the artist took the MOMA retrospective as
a challenge since she did not wish to be categorized by her
retrospective as being at the end of her career. So, at age 71,
Bourgeois changed direction and began exploring new subjects, new
materials, new media and new ideas, absorbing from the changes
occurring all around her in the art world so that she could head off in
new directions.

"Among these new directions was her move, in
the early 1980s, to a large studio space in Brooklyn. Louise Bourgeois
began working in a studio in a converted garment factory at 475 Dean
Street, between 5th and 6th avenues, near Flatbush Avenue. An
interesting choice, since her family in France had been involved in a
tapestry restoration business for many, many years.

She will celebrate
her ninety-seventh birthday on December 25th, 2008. She still holds
Sunday gatherings with emerging artists and remains as demanding and
challenging to younger artists, as she has been toward her own work."