Artist: Niki de Saint Phalle
Manufacturer: Il Giardino dei Tarocchi
Materials: Silkscreen on vinyl
Country of Origin: Italy
Date: 2018
Dimensions: 31" H x 31" W
Condition: New [uninflated] in original packaging
Known best for her exuberant, often large-scale sculptural works that celebrate the abundance and complexity of female desire, imagination, and creativity, Niki de Saint Phalle (b. 1930, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France; d. 2002, La Jolla, California) viewed making art as a ritual and a performance—a process connecting life to art.
In the 1960s, Saint Phalle radically changed her way to depict women: from sad, melancholic, and passive characters to cheerful, energetic, and powerful figures. She called them “Nanas,” a familiar mildly rude French term for a girl or young saucy woman. In 1964 Saint Phalle created the first of what would become an extensive population of Nanas, large-scale sculptures painted in bright colors, representing voluptuous women who portrayed femininity and motherhood. The artist was inspired by a visit from the wife of the American artist Larry Rivers (1923–2002), Clarice Rivers, who was then pregnant with her first child. Initially the Nanas were made of paper maché and wool, with found objects attached. By 1965, Saint Phalle began to introduce polyester to create plumper, more active and vibrant figures, and to be able to display them in parks and other outdoor locations.
Saint Phalle began commercializing her Nana balloons in 1968, as part of an effort towards democratizing art, by offering her inflatable sculptures at more affordable prices. This yellow version from 2018 was sold by the The Menil Collection bookshop during the exhibition "Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s" Sep 10, 2021 – Jan 23, 2022.
