ABOVE: Detail of a cast of Louise Bourgeois’ Maman (1999), installed at the Guggenheim Bilbao. The National Gallery of Canada is installing its own bronze version of the 30 foot spider in its outdoor plaza.

The National Gallery of Canada is the latest museum to host a version of Franco-Americain sculptor Louise Bourgeois’ arachnoid nightmare Maman—”mother,” for those of us who fell asleep in French class—a giant bronze spider carrying a bulging egg sac. It is the last of six bronze casts of the sculpture, the previous versions of which are already on display in St. Petersburg, Tokyo, New York, and Seoul. The Tate Modern in London, which of course must always be different from everyone else, has a one-of-a-kind steel version.

Bourgeois, who is now 93 years old, is still going as strong as can be expected: Maman was sculpted in 1999, when the artist was 88 years old, and the Tate has a retrospective of her work planed for 2007. Though some see vulnerability and maternal affection in the piece, the arachnophobics among us are reaching for the nearest rolled-up TV Guide.

Additionally, the National Gallery is allowing the world, through The Magic Of The Internet©, to see the sculpture being assembled with a webcam feed of the construction site in Ottawa. The press release says it should take about a week to put the whole thing together, weather permitting.

LINK: National Gallery of Canada is latest major museum to welcome Louise Bourgeois’ Maman