page_title: Niki de Saint Phalle
section_title: Public art
hierarchical_section_title: Niki de Saint Phalle / Public art
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Murten: Skulptur von Nikki St.Phalle
context_page_description: Niki de Saint Phalle was a French-American sculptor, painter, and filmmaker. Widely noted as one of the few female monumental sculptors, Saint Phalle was also known for her social commitment and work.
  She had a difficult and traumatic childhood and a multiply-disrupted education, which she wrote about many decades later. After an early marriage and two children, she began creating art in a naïve, experimental style. She first received worldwide attention for angry, violent assemblages which had been shot by firearms. These evolved into Nanas, light-hearted, whimsical, colorful, large-scale sculptures of animals, monsters, and female figures. Her most comprehensive work was the Tarot Garden, a large sculpture garden containing numerous works ranging up to house-sized creations. Her idiosyncratic style has been called "outsider art"; she had no formal training in art, but associated freely with many other contemporary artists, writers, and composers.
context_section_description: Many of Saint Phalle's sculptures are large and are exhibited in public places. The Niki Charitable Art Foundation maintains an online map and catalog of all her extant public artworks, including a pizza oven in La Jolla, California.
  Le Paradis Fantastique (The Fantastic Paradise, 1967), Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden (in collaboration with Tinguely)
  Golem (1971), Kiryat Hayovel, Jerusalem
  Hannover Nanas (1973), along the Leibnizufer in Hannover, Germany
  La Fontaine Stravinsky (Stravinsky Fountain or Fontaine des automates, 1982) near the Centre Pompidou, Paris (in collaboration with Tinguely)
  Sun God (1983), a fanciful winged creature next to the Faculty Club on the campus of the University of California San Diego as a part of the Stuart Collection of public art
  La Lune (The Moon, 1987), Brea Mall in Brea, California
  Fontaine de Château-Chinon (1988), at Château-Chinon, Nièvre (in collaboration with Tinguely), a commission by French President François Mitterrand
  Le Grand Oiseau Amoureux (Great Amorous Bird, 1988–1989), Mendrisio, Switzerland, depicts a Nana in a Yab-Yum embrace with a large standing bird
  Grand Oiseau de Feu sur l’arche (Great Firebird on the Arch, 1991), in front of Bechtler Plaza in Charlotte, North Carolina
  La Tempérance (1992) in Centre Hamilius, Luxembourg-Ville, Luxembourg (this work was in storage as the site was being demolished).
  Le Monstre du Loch Ness (Loch Ness Monster,  1992), Musée d'art moderne et d'art contemporain (MAMAC), Nice, France
  Oiseau Amoureux Fontaine / Lebensretter-Brunnen (Amorous Bird Fountain / Lifesaver Fountain, 1989–1993), Duisburg, Germany (in collaboration with Tinguely)
  Le Cyclop (1969–1994), Milly-la-Forêt, France (in collaboration with Tinguely and 15 other artists)
  Tympanum (1996) triangular mirror mosaic and mirrored pediment above the entrance to the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art, Scotland
  L'Ange Protecteur (Guardian Angel, 1997) in the hall of the Zürich Hauptbahnhof, the largest rail station in Switzerland
  Le poète et sa muse (Poet and His Muse, 1998), Mingei International Museum on The Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, California
  Big Ganesh (1998), San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, the Hindu elephant-god Ganesh dances with a small mouse
  Miles Davis (1999), outside of Hotel Negresco in Nice, France
  Noah's Ark (1994–2001), Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, 23 works in a collaborative sculpture park with architect Mario Botta
  Nikigator (2001), Mingei International Museum on The Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, California
  Coming Together (2001), San Diego Convention Center
  Grotto (2001–2003), Herrenhäuser Gardens in Hannover, Germany
  Queen Califia's Magical Circle (2003), a sculpture garden in Kit Carson Park, Escondido, California
caption: Oiseau Amoureux (1993)
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