Colorful Spaces: The World of Niki de Saint Phalle

Inspired by a friend's pregnancy, Saint Phalle began the "Nanas" series in the mid-1960s. Nanas are bulbous females with tiny heads and exaggerated anatomies that radiate mother-goddess symbolism, both playful and powerful. Here, a pop-up, three-dimensional Nana figure is featured on the cover of this retrospective exhibition catalogue held at five German museums: Niki de Saint Phalle, Retrospektive, 1954–80 (Duisburg: Wilhelm-Lehmbruck-Museum der Stadt Duisburg, 1980).

«In June 2016, an anonymous donor familiar with The Met's holdings of Niki de Saint Phalle, such as Nana and Serpent, approached Watson Library with a generous gift of 53 exhibition catalogues, monographs, and artists' books of Saint Phalle's work. Recognizing Watson Library's commitment to representing a contemporary artist's entire oeuvre, the donor saw an opportunity for Saint Phalle to be widely represented in The Met's great library.»

Niki de Saint Phalle, Retrospektive, 1954–80 (Duisburg: Wilhelm-Lehmbruck-Museum der Stadt Duisburg, 1980).

Saint Phalle was a Franco-American painter, sculptor, collagist, and filmmaker associated with the Nouveau Réalisme movement, which included Yves Klein, Jean Tinguely, and Martial Raysse. The images below, from a selection of books recently on display in the library, represent a half-century of her creative output and 60 years of scholarship on her work.

This important donation constitutes a major enhancement of Watson Library's Saint Phalle holdings, adding examinations of her sculpture, personal narratives and biographies, artists' books, and books for young audiences, most delivered in the artist's spiraling, whorled penmanship. The full collection includes items from exhibitions on four continents and publications in nine languages.

All of these books can be requested through Watsonline to be consulted in the Library.

An image of Niki de Saint Phalle's Big Head (1970) sculpture serves as a colorful slipcase for an exhibition held at two Tokyo locations. Exhibition curator Yoko Masuda opened a gallery of Saint Phalle's artwork called Space Niki, which eventually became The Niki Museum in Nasu Forest (1994–2009). Niki de Saint Phalle: exhibition sculptures, prints, drawings, films, video, performance, talk session, 1 April–28 June, 1986; Space Niki, 1–24 April, 1986, Sagacho Exhibit Space (Tokyo: Space Niki, 1986).

This single folded sheet was issued to accompany the artist's autobiography and related exhibition, with excerpts from the book and an essay by Jean-Gabriel Mitterrand. Here, Saint Phalle expounds on dissociative identity disorder and her own feelings of social anxiety. Niki de Saint Phalle, Traces (Paris: JGM. Galerie, 1999).

Produced in a limited edition of 1,500, this small booklet was issued to accompany her solo show Niki de Saint Phalle: L'Invitation au Museé. Dancing female forms in a multitude of fluorescent colors are the theme for this artist's book, which comprises 10 original screen prints on vellum and an illustrated composition in black on tracing paper. Niki de Saint Phalle, Invitation à la Danse (Paris: ARC, Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris, 1993).

The Iolas Gallery was the first to exhibit Saint Phalle's Nanas. These original lively lithographs by Saint Phalle were featured in the gallery booklet to accompany the exhibition in New York, Paris, and Geneva with an essay by Pierre Descargues. Niki de Saint Phalle, Niki Nanas Iolas Gallery Saint Phalle: [exhibition] 1966 N.Y.C. 15 East 55 (New York: Iolas Gallery, 1966).

For this promotional catalog for the outdoor garden at Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem, Saint Phalle designed phantasmagorical, large-scale "fabulous wild beasts," and Mario Botta designed the Ark. As described in the introduction, the garden was intended as a meeting place "for all kinds of people to gather just like Noah's animals." Niki de Saint Phalle and Mario Botta, The Noah's Ark Sculpture Park (Jerusalem: Jerusalem Foundation, 1998).

Published in seven languages and presented as a letter to her son, Saint Phalle's artist's book for young readers uses colorful illustrations and frank language to address the challenges of AIDS education. Niki de Saint Phalle, AIDS: You Can't Catch It Holding Hands (Munich: Verlag C.J. Bucher GmbH, 1986).

Published after the death of Saint Phalle's second husband, Swiss kinetic artist Jean Tinguely, in 1991, this exhibition chronicles the artists' relationship through Saint Phalles energetic drawings and personal correspondence. The cover photograph by Monique Jacot shows Tinguely entranced by Saint Phalle. Niki de Saint Phalle, Aventure Suisse (Fribourg: Musée d'art et d'histoire, 1993).

This oblong, accordion-style artist's book with cardboard covers highlights Saint Phalle's monumental outdoor work, including Hon/Elle (Sweden), Le Dragon de Knokke (Belgium), and Golem (Jerusalem). Shown: construction of The Knokke Dragon, including a free-spirited family photo with Tinguely, and her granddaughter, Bloum. Niki de Saint Phalle, Réalisations & Projets d'Architectures (Paris: Alexandre Iolas, ca. 1974).

Author Holly Phillips with her brother, Christopher Phillips (right), in July 2001, at the Stravinsky Fountain in Paris, located next to the Centre Pompidou and created in 1983 by Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely.

Special thanks to Diane De Fazio, volunteer in the Thomas J. Watson Library, for her research.