Nanas (1964–1973)
Niki de Saint Phalle (French, 1930–2002), born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, was a female
sculptor and painter, famed for her joyful representations of women and large
fantastical sculptures. Due to her family’s economic circumstances, she moved to New
York City as a young girl, where she spent the next 20 years of her life. After a failed
early marriage, Saint Phalle turned to painting and, in 1961, began to work alongside
Swiss artist Jean Tinguely, whom she married a decade later. Her 1960s Tirs, or “Shots,”
created by shooting a .22 caliber rifle at a plaster relief containing hidden reservoirs of
paint, quickly earned her international fame. In 1965, Saint Phalle developed the
voluptuous female form of the Nana, French slang for “woman,” which led to the
commission of the vast sculpture, She: a Cathedral for the Modern Museet in
Stockholm.