"The Bonnie and Clyde of Art" on ARTE
If you have access to ARTE, the Franco-German cultural TV channel, don't miss "Niki de Saint- Phalle and Jean Tinguely: the Bonnie and Clyde of Art," a 55-minute film by Anne Julien and Louise Faure. This "joyful hommage to the pair of sculptors and their magical creations" will be broadcast Monday
Here is ARTE's description of the film:
"Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely meet in Paris in 1955, in the artistic ferment of the post-war period. They are 25 and 30 years old, both married. They become friends. Five years later, they have fallen in love and decide to live and create together. For forty years, in the course of their journey, the nomadic pair give birth not to children, but to sculptures, most of them monumental, all over the world — totems, said Niki de Saint Phalle, 'to make people happy.' And indeed, from Europe to Japan, their work has found a huge audience, delighting children and adults with his sacred machines and her colorful creatures. With magnificent archival footage and accounts from relatives, Louise Faure and Anne Julien recount their lives and their epic art, always so closely intertwined."
Winner Announced in Charlotte's Firebird Photo Contest
In June, the Charlotte Observer invited its readers to send photos of themselves with Niki de Saint Phalle's Firebird (Le grand oiseau de feu sur l'arche), now on permanent public display in front of the new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. The winners of this competition are graphic designer Rachel Hewitt and her husband, Eric Whiteside, a high school English teacher. "That's me in the mirror," says Rachel.
Speaking of her husband (the guy holding the mirror), Rachel adds, "Living with someone who encourages his students (and wife) to think creatively is continuously inspiring. Eric celebrates the unique — and one could say, I am merely a reflection of that. And it made me laugh to shoot the photograph."
Congratulations to Rachel and Eric, the other finalists, and everyone else who entered. To see other entries, visit the Charlotte Observer web site.
France 3 TV on the Château de Malbrouck Exhibition
France 3 television's Culturebox looks at the Niki de Saint Phalle retrospective now at the Château de Malbrouck, near Metz in the Moselle region of France.
The clip (in French) includes an interview with Bloum Cardenas, granddaughter of Niki de Saint Phalle and trustee of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation. The exhibition, which runs through 29 August 2010, features 130 works spanning the entire range of Niki's career, from the shooting paintings of the early 1960s to the massive mosaic sculptures created during her years in California.
Niki Pieces Kick Off NMWA Sculpture Project in D.C.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C., has announced that Niki de Saint Phalle will be the inaugural artist for the New York Avenue Sculpture Project, "a dynamic new space that will enhance D.C.'s public art profile by featuring changing installations of contemporary works by women."
"Her vibrant works celebrate women, children, heroes, diversity and love," says the NMWA press release. Four of Niki's sculptures will be installed on the 1200 block of New York Avenue in front of the museum. NMWA will dedicate this first phase of the sculpture project on 28 April 2010. For more information, visit www.nmwa.org/sculptureproject.
Read the Washington Post article about Niki de Saint Phalle and the Sculpture Project.
Niki de Saint Phalle at the Château de Malbrouck
From 1 April to 29 August 2010, the Château de Malbrouck will present an exhibition dedicated to the work of Niki de Saint Phalle. The completely restored 15th-century Château de Malbrouck is located near Metz in northeastern France, a stone's throw from the German border. This exhibition is made possible through a collaboration with the Niki Charitable Art Foundation.
Niki and Jean, together again at the Bechtler Museum
Jackie Lupo writes in the Charlotte Daily about "Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely: Lifetime of Art Together and Apart," now at the Bechtler Museum:
"Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely, partners in art and a married couple in life, are together again at the new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina.
"Charlotteans have fallen in love with the Saint Phalle Firebird in the museum's outdoor courtyard, but there's more inside. The museum's second-floor gallery is dedicated to both artists, who met and started working together in the '50s and were married in 1971.
"Visitors can see three of Tinguely's trademark kinetic sculptures along with several two-dimensional works. Saint Phalle is represented by 'nanas' in two and three dimensions, as well as several reliefs and drawings..." Read the entire article.
Celebrating the Female Artist at the Pompidou
Marguerite Suozzi of The New York Times says "the sheer scope of elles@centrepompidou, a vast exhibit — over 500 works by 200 artists are on display — at the Centre Pompidou makes it noteworthy." Shown at right are Niki de Saint Phalle's Crucifixion (left) and La Mariée, both from 1963. The exhibit, which runs through 24 May 2010 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, is open Wednesdays through Mondays from 11 am to 9 pm. Adult admission is 6 euros. Read more.
Resources for Students and Researchers
The Niki Charitable Art Foundation is rolling out online resources for researchers, students, and educators, beginning with this detailed roster of individual exhibitions by Niki de Saint Phalle (from 1956 to the present), a list of museum collections worldwide with works by Niki de Saint Phalle, and a selected bibliography. Upcoming additions will include further resources about Niki's life and work, materials designed for use by students and educators, and a guide to offline resources for researchers in the NCAF Archive.
