Portrait of Niki de Saint Phalle

One of the most influential figures of the 20th century

A visual artist, painter, sculptor, filmmaker and pioneer of performance art, Niki de Saint Phalle was one of the first women artists to achieve fame during her lifetime, in the early 1960s. Behind "the woman who shoots" lurks an artist whose singular practice stands out for its violence and commitment.

A committed artist

As a woman and rebellious artist, Niki de Saint Phalle made her art the site of many battles. Women's emancipation in particular is at the heart of her work. From the mid-1960s, she populated the world with Nanas, these colorful female figures with generous curves. At a time when women's aspirations were still largely limited, the optimistic, active Nanas represented a liberating imagination. Monumental, colorful, they assert their presence, emancipation and power.

Niki de Saint Phalle's work is in essence a work of tolerance. Having grown up partly in the United States while racial segregation was still at stake, the artist was sensitive to the cause of African-Americans from an early age. Finding black personalities insufficiently recognized, in 1998 she dedicated a series of sculptures to them: the Black Heroes, including the monumental portrait of trumpeter Miles Davis.

A creator of monumental works and art accessible to all

Niki de Saint Phalle is the creator of art widely open to the public. There's a twofold desire in the artist: to go beyond the restricted confines of the museum to meet everyone, but also to confront monumental sculpture, a field traditionally reserved for men.

This vision led to his major life project: the Jardin des Tarots, in Tuscany. Inaugurated in 1998, this dreamlike park populated by giant female figures and fabulous creatures blends architecture, sculpture, mosaics and spirituality. A total, joyful work, open to all.