"JANUS FLEURI" (1968), sculpture in bronze by Louise BOURGEOIS (1911-2010)

...[What she creates as a sculptor out of her own subjectivity becomes an object for her, and for us, to love and hate. There are two clitorises or two flaccid penises; in between them is a representation of the female genitals experienced from inside. They look as if touched they would respond with pleasure. Stasis and movement are capured in bronze - a hard material made to represent softness. The title of the piece reminds us that most flowers contain both male and female elements. "It is perhaps a self-portrait", she said of the sculpture in September 1969, "one of many".]...

by Juliet MITCHELL, in "LOVE AND HATE, GIRL AND BOY", 2014