Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002)

Niki de Saint Phalle is a multifaceted artist : painter, sculptor, and filmmaker, she first started her career as a model and actress. As a self-taught artist, she has been able to enrich her knowledge through exchanges with renowned figures. Niki de Saint Phalle finds her inspiration in different artistic trends such as raw art or outsider art. In the early 1960s, she joined the circle of the New Realists, of which Gérard Deschamps, César, Mimmo Rotella, Christo and Yves Klein are members. In 1961, she became known to the general public thanks to Les Tirs, a set of performance paintings "with a rifle" that fascinates with her innovative and original technique. Its success has only increased thanks to the Nanas, sculptures representing bustling and colourful women from all over the world. The Igor Stravinsky Fountain, located in front of the Beaubourg Museum in Paris, and the Tarot Garden in Capalbio, Tuscany, are among his most popular works.