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Basic data
Niki de Saint Phalle is considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Her works, characterized by bright colors and expressive forms, are icons of feminism and modern art. With her unmistakable sculptures, installations and actions, she left a lasting impression on the art world.
- Name: Niki de Saint Phalle
- Date of birth: October 29, 1930
- Place of birth: Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
- Date of death: May 21, 2002
- Place of death: San Diego, California, USA
- Nationality: French
- Art style: Nouveau Réalisme, Pop Art, Feminist Art
- Known works: “Nanas”, “The Tarot Garden”, “Hon - a cathedral”
- Techniques: Sculpture, painting, collage, performance, installation
- Influences: Jean Tinguely, Gaudí, Dubuffet, feminism, popular culture
- Similar artists: Christo, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jenny Holzer, Cindy Sherman, Robert Indiana
- Exhibitions: Major retrospectives in museums such as MoMA, Guggenheim Museum, Centre Pompidou and Moderna Museet Stockholm
- Special features: Her colorful and monumental works, such as the Nanas, celebrated femininity, diversity and joie de vivre while at the same time questioning social role models. Her Tarot Garden in Tuscany is considered one of her greatest life's works.
Niki de Saint Phalle pushed the boundaries of traditional forms of expression with her powerful and innovative art. Her work remains an important source of inspiration and a symbol of the combination of creativity, courage and social commitment.
Niki De Saint Phalle Art For Sale
Biography
Childhood & youth
Niki de Saint Phalle was born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle on October 29, 1930 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. She grew up in a wealthy but turbulent family, as the economic crisis ruined her father's finances. In 1933, the family moved to New York, where Niki spent her youth. Despite the difficult circumstances, she showed artistic talent and a keen interest in creativity at an early age, which she developed at school and through self-taught experiments.
Her youth was characterized by inner struggles, including traumatic experiences in her family. These formative events would later become an important theme in her art. Niki spent her early years between Paris and the USA before starting to work as a model in the 1940s. Her pictures adorned the covers of fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. However, she soon decided against the fashion world and in favor of art.
Early career and the “Shooting Paintings”
In the 1950s, Niki de Saint Phalle began to devote herself seriously to art. She experimented with painting and sculpture and developed an unmistakable, expressive style. Her first important series of works was created in the early 1960s: the so-called “Shooting Paintings”. In these works, she shoots paint bags attached to canvases with a rifle to create explosive, random color patterns. These performances, which can be interpreted both artistically and politically, made her internationally known and associated her with the avant-garde movement of Nouveau Réalisme.
Her works from this period are in close dialog with contemporary art and reflect social tensions and personal struggles. She became part of a network of artists, including Jean Tinguely, whom she later married and with whom she realized numerous projects.
The “Nanas” and international recognition
Niki de Saint Phalle's iconic series of works, the “Nanas”, were created in the 1960s. These colorful, oversized sculptures of voluptuous, dancing women celebrate femininity and challenge common gender roles. The “Nanas” became the trademark of her art and attracted worldwide attention. In 1966, she created one of her most famous installations, Hon - a cathedral, a walk-in Nana, which was exhibited at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm.
In the decades that followed, Niki de Saint Phalle continued to develop her style and created monumental works that combined art and architecture. Her most important work is the Tarot Garden in Tuscany, an extensive sculptural landscape inspired by the symbols of the tarot cards. This project, which she realized over a period of 20 years, became one of her most important legacies.
Late years: commitment and large projects
In the 1980s and 1990s, Niki de Saint Phalle increasingly devoted herself to large-scale installations and social issues. In her art, she campaigned for women's rights, peace and ecological issues. During this time, she created numerous public artworks, including the famous Stravinsky Fountain installation in front of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which she designed together with Jean Tinguely.
Despite health problems caused by handling toxic materials in her art, she remained productive into old age. In the 1990s, she also published books, including an art fairy tale, and spoke openly about her personal struggles and feminist views.
Late work and legacy
Niki de Saint Phalle died on May 21, 2002 in San Diego, California, USA. She leaves behind an impressive artistic legacy, ranging from colorful sculptures to provocative performances and monumental installations. Her works can be seen in museums and public spaces around the world and continue to inspire artists today.
With her unique style and bold exploration of social issues, Niki de Saint Phalle has pushed the boundaries of art and occupied an unparalleled position in art history. Her work remains a powerful symbol of creativity, feminism and the celebration of life.
Exhibitions
- 06.06.2025 – 04.01.2026 Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hultén – Grand Palais, Paris.
- 12.06.2025 – 13.10.2025 Niki de Saint Phalle: The 1980s and 1990s: Art Unleashed – Musée National des Beaux-Arts, Québec.
- 24.04.2024 – 19.08.2024 Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely & Pontus Hultén – Centre Pompidou, Paris.
- 03.02.2023 – 21.05.2023 NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE – Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt.
- 02.09.2022 – 15.01.2023 NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE – Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich.
Awards
- 1994: Prix Caran d'Ache for the design of a stamp to raise awareness of AIDS.
- 2000: Praemium Imperiale in the sculpture category, awarded by the Japan Art Association.
- 2000: Appointed honorary citizen of the city of Hanover in recognition of her artistic contribution, in particular the donation of 400 works to the Sprengel Museum.
Films
- Niki de Saint Phalle: Wer ist das Monster – Du oder ich?, documentary, Peter Schamoni, 93 Min, Germany/Switzerland 1995.
- Daddy, experimental film by Niki de Saint Phalle and Peter Whitehead, 105 Min, France 1973.
- Un rêve plus long que la nuit, experimental film by Niki de Saint Phalle, 120 Min, France 1976.
- Niki de Saint Phalle: Introspections and Reflections, documentary, André Blas, 2003.
- Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely: Bonnie and Clyde of the Arts, documentary, Louise Faure, Anne Julien, 2012.
- Niki de Saint Phalle: An Architect’s Dream, documentary, Louise Faure, Anne Julien, 52 Min, France 2014.
- Niki, feature film about the life of Niki de Saint Phalle, Céline Sallette, 98 Min, France 2024.
Literatur
- Niki de Saint Phalle - die illustrierte Geschichte, Monica Foggia, Valeria Quattrocchi, Balthasar Pagan, Munich 2023.
- Ich bin eine Kämpferin : Frauenbilder der Niki de Saint Phalle, Ulrich Krempel, Regina Selter, Berlin 2016.
- Niki de Saint Phalle – Starke Weiblichkeit entfesseln. Die Biografie, Monika Becker, Munich 2005.
- Niki & Jean. L'art et l'amour, Ulrich Krempel, Andres Pardey, Munich 2005.
Collections
Germany
- Hanover - Sprengel Museum
- Frankfurt a. M. - Städel Museum
- Munich - Lenbachhaus
- Dresden - Albertinum
- Cologne - Museum Ludwig
Schwitzerland
- Freiburg - Espace Jean Tinguely Niki de Saint Phalle
France
- Paris - Centre Pompidou
- Nizza - Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain (MAMAC)
Spain
- Bilbao - Guggenheim Museum
USA
- New York - Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- San Francisco - Museum of Modern Art
- Charlotte - Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
Weblinks
- Espace Jean Tinguely Niki de Saint Phalle - Museum in Fribourg im Üechtland (Switzerland) with works by the artist couple Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle
