Portrait of Niki de Saint Phalle, 1980s.

Niki de Saint Phalle was born on 29 October 1930 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. After her father lost his fortune in the 1929 stock market crash, she spent most of her childhood in the United States, where her mother was from. The challenges she faced growing up had a lasting impact on her art.

At 18, she married her childhood friend, American writer Harry Matthews. They had two children and divorced in 1960, but Matthews continued to support her artistic career.
De Saint Phalle started her art career in the early 1950s and became well known in 1956 for her Shooting Paintings. In these performances, she shot at plaster reliefs containing small bags of paint, causing the bags to burst and the colours to splatter across the surface. This bold and expressive act became a defining element of her early work.

In 1962, the well-known art patron Alexander Iolas started supporting her, offering financial help and introducing her to important people in the art world. That year, she also joined the experimental Dylaby exhibition in Amsterdam with Jean Tinguely, who would later become her second husband.

Starting in 1965, she created her famous Nanas—large, colourful female figures first made from wire and fabric, and later from polyester. One of her key sources of inspiration was the prehistoric Venus of Willendorf, whose rounded female form influenced the shape and character of the Nanas. These sculptures celebrated femininity in a fun and bold way, while also challenging the male-dominated art world and offering new ways to show women in art.

Saint Phalle’s art went beyond galleries and museums. One of her biggest projects was the Tarot Garden in Tuscany, Italy. Inspired by Tarot cards, this large sculpture park is filled with imaginative, oversized figures decorated with mirrors, glass, and ceramic mosaics. She spent more than 20 years building it, showing her belief in art as something that can change and involve people.

Throughout her career, de Saint Phalle made art that was personal and spoke to social issues like identity, gender, and equality. Her strong use of colour, shapes, and unusual materials made her a leader in modern art.

Selected artworks

Niki de Saint Phalle

Adam and Eve, Painted polyester resin.
1985 , 48 x 58 x 38 cm

Enquire

Niki de Saint Phalle

Adam and Eve, Painted polyester resin.
1985 , 48 x 58 x 38 cm

Signed and stamped.

Edition of 12.

"*" geeft vereiste velden aan

Niki de Saint Phalle

Ganesh, synthetic resin, polyurethane paint, gold leaf and lightbulbs
1994 , 108 x 42 x 48 cm

Enquire

Niki de Saint Phalle

Ganesh, synthetic resin, polyurethane paint, gold leaf and lightbulbs
1994 , 108 x 42 x 48 cm

stamped with the artist's signature Niki de Saint Phalle' on a metal plate affixed to the left foot.

"*" geeft vereiste velden aan

Niki de Saint Phalle

Fauteuil “Dos à dos”, Painted polyester
1993 , 170 × 88 × 71 cm

Enquire

Niki de Saint Phalle

Fauteuil “Dos à dos”, Painted polyester
1993 , 170 × 88 × 71 cm

Signed and numbered by Niki de Saint Phalle on a metal plate, with the editor’s stamp ‘Haligon’ on one of the legs.

Edition of 20 + 5 artist’s proofs (A.P.).

"*" geeft vereiste velden aan

Niki de Saint Phalle

The Couple, Resin scuplture painted
2000 , 31 x 19 x 17 cm

Enquire

Niki de Saint Phalle

The Couple, Resin scuplture painted
2000 , 31 x 19 x 17 cm

Collaborative edition created together with Niki de Saint Phalle and Gallery Delaive.

Edition of 150.

"*" geeft vereiste velden aan

Nico met Niki de Saint Phalle through Sam Francis, who sent him to her studio in La Jolla, San Diego. In the 1990s, after her husband Jean Tinguely died, de Saint Phalle moved to this coastal town and kept making her bright, colourful art.

Nico first met her in her studio and soon became a frequent visitor. Their friendship developed into a collaboration, and together they created 150 vase sculptures called The Couple.

To honour their relationship, de Saint Phalle designed the birth announcement for Nico’s daughter, who was named Niki. Today, Niki Delaive, Co-Owner and Director of Gallery Delaive, serves as a living reminder of Delaive’s close connection with the French American artist.