Niki de Saint Phalle 23 Years After Her Death

Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle was born on October 29, 1930. Her stage name, Niki de Saint Phalle, comes from a nickname given to her by her mother, who renamed her "Niki." She then joined her parents in the United States, in Greenwich, where she was raised by a nanny named "Nana." 

In 1994, in her book My Secret, followed by Traces in 1999, continuing this autobiographical tradition, the artist publicly revealed the rape she suffered at the hands of her father at the age of 11. 

Niki de Saint Phalle, Art, an Escape 

Niki began her career as a model between 1948 and 1950, appearing for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and other French and American magazines. She married writer Harry Mathews during this same period. 

In 1953, she was forced to interrupt her theater training, which she had begun in 1951, due to severe depression. She was then hospitalized in Nice. This event prompted her to devote herself to art.

After the birth of her second child in 1955, her artistic identity began to truly take shape. She traveled to Madrid and Barcelona, where she discovered the world of Antoni Gaudí. Her encounter with Jean Tinguely in 1956 allowed her to join the New Realists group a few years later.

The New Realists  

Under the leadership of Yves Klein and Pierre Restany, New Realism, already present in the 1950s, was the subject of a joint declaration in 1960, officially establishing the movement. This declaration was initially signed by Yves Klein, Pierre Restany, Arman, François Dufrêne, Raymond Hains, Martial Raysse, Daniel Spoerri, Jean Tinguely, and Jacques de la Villegé. César, Mimmo Rotella, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Gérard Deschamps joined in 1961. 

The characteristics of this movement include the use of everyday and discarded objects. The idea was to make ordinary objects extraordinary and to give them a second meaning after wear and tear. According to the artists of this movement, this allowed them to question the consumer society that was booming in France and around the world at the time. The notion of performance and artistic gestures is also important. This is what Niki de Saint Phalle, the only woman in this group of artists, implemented in her work Tir from 1961. To create this work, she organized 12 shooting actions between 1961 and 1962 on her plaster assemblages populated with bags of colors that exploded when shot from a rifle. 

In 1959, the artist became acquainted with American artists such as Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. The influence of these artists is mainly found in the way of applying paint and the chromatic range.

This work shares some similarities, namely the materials used, the chromatic range, and the verticality of the color arrangement, with Niki de Saint Phalle's composition Tir (Shooting). 

Here, the bright colors, the theme of women, and her unconventional position echo the artist's famous Nanas.

A part of her rebellious adolescence persists in her works, as does her committed character. Niki wrote and illustrated a book in 1987 for AIDS prevention entitled AIDS: You Can't Catch It Holding Hands. The artist is also a feminist and fights against patriarchal domination. One of her most representative works, with its sometimes shocking approach, is Elle-une cathédrale. Created jointly by Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely and Per Olof Ultvedt, this six-ton “monument” invites spectators to enter the work through the Nana’s genitals. 

A loving partnership 

Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely's partnership has become iconic. The two artists are often the subject of joint retrospectives. They jointly produced numerous works, such as the recently restored Stravinsky Fountain in Paris. 

The mechanized sculptures are animated by water jets operating in a closed circuit. The fountain was commissioned by the contemporary mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, from the two artists. This commission was made in the 1980s, in favor of monumental contemporary artistic creation. This creation was made in homage to the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) and inspired by his "Rite of Spring," which caused controversy in 1913 during the ballet's performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

 The quintessential Mediterranean Garden features sculptures, fountains, and habitable houses. The Tuscan sun reflects off the works surrounded by olive trees and diverse vegetation. The Tarot Garden is now administered by the private Foundation Il Giardino dei Tarocchi. 

Passionate about esotericism, the 22 sculptures represent the Major Arcana of the Tarot. As with all her large-scale sculptures, she applies concrete and polyester to a metal structure, the whole covered with a mosaic of ceramic, glass, or plastic. Since 1983, all ceramics have been made on site.

• The Sun: The sun is represented by an anthropomorphic structure. He is standing, his legs spread apart to reveal a staircase. His face is a sun, echoing the colors of the Tarot card with his arms. The top of the structure is comparable to that of the Firebird in Stravinsky's Fountain. The upright position of the character allows us to attribute the meaning of the card to the right side: clarity, success, fulfillment, esteem, and peace. The reverse side represents doubt, excess, blockage, discord, and sadness.

• The Empress: This sphinx-shaped sculpture is habitable. In 1983, Niki de Saint Phalle moved in for seven years. While the interior is covered with a mosaic of Venetian mirrors, the Empress's hair is decorated with electric blue mirrors. A belvedere terrace, once accessible from the outside, is located below the statue's hair. The meaning of the Tarot card: upright, the card indicates intelligence, understanding, power, dynamism, and creativity. Reversed, it is synonymous with superficiality, lies, lack, vanity, and nervousness.

• The chapel dominated by the figure of Temperance: This structure has an important meaning for the couple Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely. In 1983, Jean underwent heart surgery. Niki dedicated this chapel to him following a promise she had made to herself if he survived. Temperance, upright, denotes harmony, transmission, patience, comfort, and gentleness. If the card is reversed, it indicates excess, lack of vision, impetuosity, instability, and imbalance.

This monumental creation, with its colors and serpentine lines, is readily inspired by Antoni Gaudí. At the entrance to the Garden, Niki wrote a form of testament in Italian, expressing her love of Italian art and the importance of her encounter with Gaudí's creations. She also spoke of her motivations, the difficulty of building such a masterpiece, and the inner journey it allowed her to undertake. She said: "My vision was strengthened by these experiences, and I, in turn, decided to create a garden that would inspire, in a troubled world, artistic feelings of serenity and love for nature."

One of her deepest desires was to open it to the public. Since the works are fragile and require precise and regular care, the site was not open year-round. She also adds that she doesn't want there to be a guided tour, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in the space.

Although Niki de Saint Phalle created other monumental sculptures, this idea of a garden is unique in its creation. Projects closest to the Tarot Garden have been created by other artists, such as Gaudí's Park Güell or Pier Francesco Orsini's Park of Monsters in Bomarzo. 

Niki de Saint Phalle died in 2002 in California from pulmonary emphysema.

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