By Louise Bourgeois | 1996–1997 | Granite

At the gateway to the park, something’s watching — but it’s also inviting.

Louise Bourgeois’ Eye Benches are surreal and playful: giant, carved granite eyes that double as benches. Look closely and you’ll notice the iris and pupil are highly polished, contrasting with the rougher granite lids. Sit down, and you’re literally resting on a gaze.

There are three of them — each with its own slightly different expression and curve — arranged like sentinels keeping watch over the city and sea.

📸 Photo Tip: Snap a wide shot from above to see the full “face,” or get creative with close-ups of reflections in the eye’s polished surface.

Did You Know?

• The Eye Benches are part of a larger series Bourgeois created exploring themes of surveillance, introspection, and memory.
• Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, known for blending the personal with the monumental.
• The benches are made of Norwegian Blue granite, chosen for both its beauty and durability.
• Each bench is about 6–8 feet long, and weighs thousands of pounds. You could park a Smart Car on one — but please don’t.

Louise Bourgeois loved embedding personal memory and surreal humor into her work. The Eye Benches are low to the ground and blend with the plaza — some visitors don’t even notice them at first! That’s part of the joke: you’re being watched by art that pretends it’s not there. The eyes may feel playful, but they also watch. Some say it’s Bourgeois’s way of gently suggesting we think about how we move through public space… and how public space moves through us.