A DREAM LONGER THAN THE NIGHT

Niki de Saint Phalle was born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle on 29 October 1930 at Neuilly-sur-Seine in France. After a childhood marked by frequent moves and changes of schools, she married Harry Mathews, a prominent New York author. Personal crisis led her to painting and she decided to become an artist in the early 1950s. Experimental assemblages gave way to Tirs, or shooting paintings, bringing her international fame and membership in a group of artists, the New Realists, in 1961 which also included Yves Klein, Arman and Jean Tinguely, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, among others. A close relationship to Swiss kinetic sculptor Jean Tinguely developed into creative collaboration and marriage in 1971. They worked together for the construction of many of Niki de Saint Phalle’s major sculpture projects, like HON in Stockholm (1966), Paradis Fantastique (1967), Cyclop in Milly-la-Forêt (1969-1987), Golem in Jerusalem (1972), Dragon in Knokke-le-Zoute (1973-75), Tarot Garden in Italy (1980-1998) and Stravinsky Fountain in Paris (1983). Saint Phalle never stopped exploring working with different materials may it be polyester, bronze, or mosaic. Other monumental projects of Saint Phalle include the UCSD Sun God (1983), Noah’s Ark in Jerusalem (1998), the Grotto at the Royal Gardens of Hannover (1996–2003), and Queen Califia’s Magical Circle in Escondido (1999–2003). Beyond her artistic endeavors, Niki was a passionate advocate for social justice and environmental conservation. She used her platform to address issues such as gender inequality, racism, and environmental degradation, utilizing art as a tool for activism and social change. Niki de Saint Phalle died on May 21, 2002, in La Jolla, California.