Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s

Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s is the first show to focus on the experimental and prolific work of French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002) during this pivotal decade, featuring numerous works from European collections that will be displayed in the U.S. for the first time.

The exhibition explores a transformative ten-year period in Saint Phalle’s work, when she embarked on two significant series: the Tirs, or “shooting paintings,” and the powerful Nanas, lively sculptures of the female form. Affirming the artist’s place in postwar art history, this show highlights these prescient works of performance, participatory, and feminist art, as well as her transatlantic projects and collaborations. Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s brings together major paintings, assemblages, and sculptures from this chapter in the artist’s career, as well as extensive film and photographic documentation from the Menil Archives.

Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s is cocurated by Michelle White, Senior Curator, The Menil Collection, and Jill Dawsey, PhD, Curator, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.

The exhibition travelled to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and was on view April 9, 2022 to July 17, 2022.

Images courtesy The Menil Collection, Houston.