Marble
21,6 x 25 x 11 in (55 x 38 x 28 cm)

French-born, New York-raised Niki de Saint Phalle, a passionately imaginative and self-taught artist, gained international fame in the 1960s as a New Realist. Considered one of the most gifted sculptors of our time, Niki de Saint Phalle was a rare artist who kept the same theme all throughout her long career. She believed in the freedom of the spirit and reveled in the creativity that is born of such freedom. Her creativity has formed a unique world of myth all her own. At the early age of 23 she suffered a nervous breakdown. As a form of therapy, she was encouraged to start painting and later continued painting in her unique, self-taught style. Deeply inspired by famed Spanish sculptor Antoni Gaudí, De Saint Phalle worked with organic forms, vivid colors and new materials to provide a fresh approach to sculpture. Around 1964, she started using polyester which enabled her to produce sculptures with curved, soft lines. It also made it possible to work on colored sculptures and big outdoor sculptures. In fact, she used more colors than any other sculptors and it was this along with her flexibility in choosing materials that made her works very special. In the course of her professional career, De Saint Phalle has produced numerous works dominantly centered on women. The hallmarks of her stunningly diverse repertoire are her Nanas, powerful, often dancing women celebrating life. These large-scale, outrageous and colorful sculptures have appeared in museums, advertisements and worldwide exhibitions. Niki has also worked on monumental architecture, theater, and filmmaking. In 2000, De Saint Phalle was awarded the 12th Premium Imperial Prize in Japan, considered to be the equivalent to the Nobel Prize in the art world.