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Arachnophobes of the world beware, this is one blood-curdling sight: a monumental, 10-meter-high (33 feet) spider. It has taken up residence in downtown Zurich, Switzerland, where it dominates a lakeshore spot on Bürkliplatz.

The arachnid is a sculpture named ‘’Maman‘‘ (Mommy) by Franco-American artist Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) and it’s one of the most popular pieces of contemporary art out there. Both in terms of size, and its effect on people, the bronze and stainless steel spider and its sac of marble eggs is no average piece of art.

On Wednesday night, leg-by-leg, the 11-ton monster was assembled under the watchful eye of a US specialist. It took seven people and two cranes to get the job done. The piece belongs to a private art collection. Before making it to Zurich, the spider spent some time in Bern, where it towered over the Bundesplatz, home of Switzerland’s federal parliament. On August 2, it will move on to Geneva.

The giant spider will then continue its Swiss tour in Basel, as the core piece of a retrospective devoted to Louise Bourgeois at the prestigious, Renzo Piano-designed Beyeler Foundation in the suburb of Riehen. The spider will be on display in the museum gardens for an exhibition that opens on September 3 and honors the 100 year anniversary of the artist's birth.

Worldcrunch