Niki de Saint Phalle(1930 — 2002)
Niki de Saint Phalle
France, États-Unis, Suisse
7 min read
French artist, painter, and sculptor
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) est une artiste franco-américaine autodidacte, jamais formée dans une école des beaux-arts
- Dans les années 1960, elle crée ses célèbres 'Tirs' : des performances où elle tire à la carabine sur des sacs de peinture intégrés dans ses œuvres
- Elle est cofondatrice du mouvement Nouveau Réalisme avec Jean Tinguely et Yves Klein (1960)
- Elle conçoit les monumentales sculptures 'Nanas' (figures féminines colorées et rondes) à partir de 1965, symboles de joie et de féminisme
- Elle réalise le Jardin des Tarots à Garavicchio en Toscane (1979-1998), un parc de sculptures inspiré des arcanes du tarot
Works & Achievements
Artistic performances in which Niki shot a rifle at paintings containing bags of paint; a cathartic and political act blending art and protest.
Monumental sculptures of round, colorful, and triumphant women, which became the emblem of her feminist work and celebration of the female body.
Large installation of a veiled bride adorned with eclectic objects, a sharp critique of marriage and the role imposed on women in Western society.
Public fountain featuring 16 colorful and mobile sculptures in front of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, illustrating the works of Igor Stravinsky and making art accessible to all.
A monumental sculpture park in Tuscany representing the 22 major arcana of the Tarot — a titanic lifelong work, opened to the public in 1998.
A militant illustrated book on AIDS prevention, pioneering in the fight against stigmatization and in disseminating clear information to the general public.
Giant sculpture in the shape of a colorful monster that children can enter through slides; a symbol of her desire to make art playful and accessible.
Anecdotes
In 1961, Niki de Saint Phalle invented the 'shootings': she attached bags of paint to white canvases and fired at them with a rifle. The colors burst across the canvas like wounds. This spectacular performance drew the attention of the entire world and made her a figure of the international avant-garde.
Hospitalized at 22 for severe depression, Niki discovered art therapy in a psychiatric hospital. She later claimed that 'painting saved my life'. This experience founded her conviction that art can heal and transform individuals.
The Nanas, her round and colorful female sculptures, caused a scandal when they first appeared in 1965. Exhibited in Stockholm in 1966, three giant Nanas floated on the water in front of the museum. The public saw them as a provocation; Niki put into them the power and joy of the female body.
The Tarot Garden, in Tuscany, was the work of her entire life. Niki literally lived inside one of the sculptures — the head of the Sphinx — during the years of construction, sleeping in its breast and cooking in its belly. She financed the project by selling her perfume 'Niki de Saint Phalle'.
Niki de Saint Phalle was one of the first artists to publicly speak out against AIDS as early as 1986, publishing an illustrated children's book titled 'AIDS: You Have to Know' in order to break taboos and inform young people.
Primary Sources
I was raped by my father at the age of eleven. That is my secret. I kept it for forty years... I killed my father in my shooting paintings. I killed the society that had allowed this.
We want to build a fantastic garden, a dream place where people could enter the sculptures, live inside them, get lost in an imaginary world.
Art is not a luxury. It is a necessity for the human soul. My Nanas are goddesses, mothers, warriors. They celebrate woman as she should be: free, strong and joyful.
Jean Tinguely and I wanted this fountain to be alive, animated, full of color and movement. Art must be accessible to everyone, in the street, for all.
When I shoot, I am not shooting at a man. I am shooting against violence, against war, against the world that oppresses women. Every gunshot is a protest.
Key Places
Monumental masterpiece of 22 giant sculptures representing the Tarot arcana, built between 1979 and 1998; Niki lived inside the head of the Sphinx for years.
Colorful fountain created with Jean Tinguely in 1983, composed of mobile and aquatic sculptures, in front of the Centre Georges-Pompidou — a symbol of art in public space.
Venue of the legendary 1966 exhibition where three giant Nanas floated on water, marking the beginning of the artist's international recognition.
Main studio where Niki worked for decades, producing her Nanas and experimenting with her polyester sculpture techniques.
The place where she spent her final years and the headquarters of the foundation created to preserve her work; she passed away there in 2002.
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
La Mariée (assemblage)
1963
Le Sida, tu connais ?
1986
