Gimpel Fils is delighted to announce an exhibition of sculpture, drawings and prints by the French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle. Including works from the 1960s through the 1990s, this exhibition is a celebration not only of de Saint Phalle’s extraordinary career, but also her relationship with the gallery.
Gimpel Fils first started working with Niki de Saint Phalle in 1979. This mini-retrospective, the gallery’s sixth exhibition of her work, will be at Gimpel Fils through 19 November.
On Saturday 26 October, some lucky visitors to the exhibition at the Grand Palais will also have an opportunity to take a guided private visit to Le Cyclop, the mammoth sculpture located in Milly-la-Forêt, south of Paris. The visit will be led by Bloum Cardenas, grand-daughter of Niki de Saint Phalle and trustee of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation; François Taillade, the director of Le Cyclop; and Jean-Gabriel Mitterrand. At 22.5 meters high and containing 350 tons of steel, Le Cyclop is a unique monument in the history of contemporary art, one that brings together four artistic movements: Dada, Nouveau Réalisme, art cinétique (kinetic art) and art brut (outsider art).
The private tour will leave from the Grand Palais on Saturday 26 October at 9am and return at around 1pm that afternoon. To join the tour, visitors must present an “invité d’honneur” (VIP) badge. RSVP required at fiac.com/vip.html.
Also in conjunction with the exhibition, the films Daddy and Where Is the Monster will be shown in the auditorium of the Grand Palais on Thursday 24 October from 5:00pm to 6:30pm.
Reviewing the exhibition “Niki de Saint Phalle: Creation of a New Mythology,” now at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, North Carolina, Richard Maschal writes in the Charlotte Observer that “we live in arid times,” cut off from nature and from myth. “The stories and images of gods and goddesses that nourished our ancestors, helping them understand themselves and the world, are gone,” he says. “We’re left with pale substitutes: celebrities…”
“Niki de Saint Phalle understood all this,” Maschal goes on. “And the French-American artist, who died in 2002 at age 71, determined to do something about it. She made paintings, prints and sculptures full of images and forms to reconnect us to what we’ve lost. At the same time, she sought to inject a quality not often found in contemporary art — fun.”
The five large sculptures on public display outside the museum and the 54 works inside the Bechtler “brim with emotions, ideas and colors to ravish the optic nerve,” says Maschal. You have the whole summer to see for yourself: “Niki de Saint Phalle: Creation of a New Mythology” will be at the Bechtler through October 3.
Le Cyclop, the enormous sculpture/structure built by Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, and an assortment of artist friends in the woods of Milly-la-Forêt just outside Paris, is now open to the public after being closed for the winter season. Paris Live TV offers a quick tour of this incredible, complex creation. To take their video tour, just click the arrow below. If you’d like to learn more about visiting this extraordinary work, you’ll find contact information here.
You may remember that some months ago, SCHUNCK* Heerlenissued a challenge to high school students from seven European schools to design a sculpture inspired by “Hon – a Cathedral,” the legendary work Niki de Saint Phalle created for Stockholm’s Moderna Museet in 1966.
The context, of course, was the exhibition “Niki de Saint Phalle: Outside-In,” which opened at SCHUNCK* on 25 February. The winner, a polar bear named “Tosca,” was slated for full-size construction at the end of March.
Well, Tosca is now living large in Heerlen’s Pancratius Square, as you can see for yourself via this live streaming webcam. (To give you an idea how large, the object on the lower left is a person on a scooter.) The official unveiling took place on 30 April. If you read Dutch, the Dagblad De Limburger / Limburgs Dagblad has details (“Reusachtige ‘ijsbeer-sculptuur’ Tosca geopend“). Congratulations once again to the students at the Institut Saint-Laurent in Liège who came up with this design!
The story of Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely weds a brilliant artistic collaboration with one of the greatest love stories in the history of art — a story detailed and celebrated in the award-winning film “Les Bonnie & Clyde de l’art,” by Louise Faure and Anne Julien.
On 21 May, Faure and Julien will present a screening of their film at the Cinéma Action Christine in Paris. The 55-minute film will be shown on Saturday 21 May at 11 am at the Cinéma Action Christine, 4, rue Christine, Paris, in the 6th arrondissement between Odéon and the Place Saint-Michel (+33 01 43 25 85 78).
“Les Bonnie & Clyde de l’art,” which was shown on the European cultural channel Arte last August, won the prize for Best TV Film at the Festival International du film sur l’Art de Montréal 2011.
“Niki de Saint Phalle: Play With Me,” surveying the work of Niki de Saint Phalle, opened 17 April at the Kunsthalle Würth in the Schwäbisch Hall, Künzelsau, Germany. ArtDaily.org reports:
“The Kunsthalle Würth in Schwäbisch Hall shows the wide-ranging oeuvre of the multifaceted artist Niki de Saint Phalle, undoubtedly one of the most important artists of the 20th century, in a large survey exhibition. Through her paintings, assemblages, shooting paintings (tirs), sculptures and installations, this artist created a unique cosmos which established her international reputation.” Read the full story here.
Curated by Guido Magnaguagno, former director of the Tinguely Museum in Basel, the exhibition presents more than 150 of Niki’s works. It includes sculptures from the Würth Collection and works on loan from the Niki Charitable Art Foundation, the Sprengel Museum in Hanover, the Musée d’art moderne in Nice, and other private and public lenders. It also includes films by the artist, key works by her partner Jean Tinguely, and paintings by her first teacher, Hugh Weiss. The exhibition runs from 17 April to 16 October 2011.
Above: A visitor passes between Niki de Saint Phalle’s “Kingfisher Totem” (L) and her “Bird Head Totem” (R) at the “Play With Me” exhibition preview at the Kunsthalle Würth in Künzelsau, Germany. (EPA/BERND WEISSBROD)
The Wall Street Journal has some advice for its readers: Don’t miss “Niki de Saint Phalle: Creation of a New Mythology,” the new exhibition that opened 18 March at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Under the heading “A Playful Sculptress,” the Journal includes the show in its “Don’t Miss” section for the week of 9-15 April.
As the Journal notes, the exhibition includes some 60 works by Niki de Saint Phalle, in addition to five large-scale sculptures on outdoor display in the Green next to the museum.
At right is La Cabeza (2000), shown here installed at the Atlanta Botanical Garden for the 2006 exhibition “Niki in the Garden.”
We’re pleased to announce the donation to the Niki Charitable Art Foundation of arts advocate Lyn Kienholz’s personal archives related to Niki de Saint Phalle. These archives include correspondence, photos, proposals, construction and financial plans, event plans, notes and research, and original letters and drawings by Niki de Saint Phalle, as well as images of maquettes for unrealized projects and an array of other materials.
Lyn Kienholz, a longtime advocate for the arts, is founder and president of the nonprofit California/International Arts Foundation, which partners with U.S. and international museums to organize and tour art exhibitions. She also serves on boards of directors for many national and international arts organizations and public galleries.
We wish to express our deep appreciation for this generous donation.
The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, North Carolina, has announced the opening of its new exhibition Niki de Saint Phalle: Creation of a New Mythology, on exhibit now through 3 October 2011. The Bechtler, whose permanent collection includes works by both Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely, is already home to Niki’s Firebird, a huge sculpture on permanent public display in front of the museum.
The announcement begins:
“The exhibition celebrates the artist’s extraordinary appetite for myths and legends as interpreted through dynamic and often provocative sculpture, paintings and prints. The Bechtler offers 55 works inside the museum and five large-scale outdoor sculptures across the street in Wells Fargo’s public park, The Green, in addition to the Firebird sculpture that graces the museum’s plaza.”
Gimpel Fils is delighted to announce an exhibition of sculpture, drawings and prints by the French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle. Including works from the 1960s through the 1990s, this exhibition is a celebration not only of de Saint Phalle’s extraordinary career, but also her relationship with the gallery.