Niki de Saint Phalle

Niki de Saint Phalle, born Catherine de Saint-Phalle on October 29, 1930, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, is a pivotal figure in contemporary art. A visual artist, painter, printmaker, sculptor, and filmmaker, she made her mark with a body of work as bold as it is monumental. She passed away on May 21, 2002, in La Jolla, California, leaving behind a vast artistic legacy, the result of an unconventional career and a life dedicated to art in all its forms.
Before becoming an internationally renowned artist, Niki de Saint Phalle was first a model, then a mother. Self-taught, she received no formal artistic training, choosing instead to draw inspiration from her interactions with peers and contemporaries. In 1952, she began painting, influenced by Art Brut and Outsider Art. In 1961, she joined the Nouveaux Réalistes group, alongside Gérard Deschamps, César, Mimmo Rotella, Christo, and Yves Klein. This collective sought to redefine art by incorporating everyday objects and materials, thus blurring the lines between art and life.
Niki de Saint Phalle gained international fame through her "Shooting Paintings," performances where she shot at bags of paint embedded in her works. These actions, as spectacular as they were subversive, thrust her into the artistic spotlight of the 1960s. However, it was in the creation of monumental sculptures that she fully expressed her talent. Among her most famous works are the Tarot Garden in Tuscany and Queen Califia's Magical Circle in California, two sculpture parks created on her own initiative. In France, she collaborated with her second husband, Swiss artist Jean Tinguely, on the creation of the Stravinsky Fountain in Paris and Le Cyclop in Milly-la-Forêt.
Public commissions punctuate Niki de Saint Phalle's career. In Jerusalem, she created The Golem, a monster-sculpture for children, in 1971, and in 1994, she completed Noah's Ark for the Biblical Zoo. In 1987, she and Jean Tinguely were commissioned by François Mitterrand to design the Château-Chinon Fountain.
Niki de Saint Phalle garnered media attention while ardently defending the legacy of her companion. She contributed to the opening of the Tinguely Museum in Basel, thus honoring Jean Tinguely's memory. Her work, marked by unparalleled generosity, is widely represented in prestigious institutions such as the Sprengel Museum in Hanover and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nice, where she made generous donations.