Exhibition
Niki de Saint Phalle
From April 30 to October 5 2025This year, we are honoring Niki de Saint Phalle with a unique and fascinating bestiary. Combining symbols, myths, autobiographical narratives, and the legacy of surrealism, this temporary exhibition invites visitors to explore the place of animals and fantastical creatures in the work of the French-American artist.
Six key facts about Niki de Saint Phalle
1) Nicknamed Niki by her mother, Catherine de Saint Phalle grew up in a wealthy family, spending her childhood between New York and the family castle in Huez, France, which would inspire some of her work;
2) A self-taught visual artist, she joined the New Realists group in 1961, where she was the only woman artist;
3) After her marriage to the poet Harry Matthews, she moved in with the artist and sculptor Jean Tinguely. He assisted her in the creation of a large number of works, such as the Stravinsky Fountain in Paris and The Golem of Jerusalem.
4) Her Tirs series reflects her fight against all forms of oppression (patriarchy, the Church, war, etc.). An activist artist, she supported the cause of African-Americans, AIDS patients, and women's liberation.
5) Inspired by Gaudi's Park Güell, in 1979 she began creating the Tarot Garden in Tuscany, consisting of 22 sculptures representing the major arcana. She lived for several years in one of them, The Empress.
6) Exposed to polyester dust during her creations, she developed chronic respiratory failure in the late 1970s and died in California in 2002.
Between joy and subversion: art as a playground
At the beginning of her career, Niki de Saint Phalle combined performance, assemblage, and painting, before devoting herself entirely to sculpture with her monumental Nanas. Exuberant and free from constraints, these heroines with powerful bodies evolve in a world populated by colorful fantastical creatures covered in mirrors and mosaics.
Influenced by the world of fairy tales, the artist's bestiary combines the colorful eclecticism of pop culture with medieval imagery, drawing inspiration from Japanese movie monsters as well as deities and mythological creatures.
Through everyday objects (a ball, a brooch, a vase) and sculptures in public spaces (playgrounds, fountains, gardens), Niki de Saint Phalle democratizes art. Spiders, birds, and snakes tell a personal story with universal resonance, between reality and imagination.
Myths, symbols, and ecofeminist values
The exhibition is designed as an initiatory journey, populated by beings that are sometimes threatening, sometimes allies and protectors. Monsters and dragons, for example, embody the artist's fears, which art allows her to tame or confront.
Totemic figures such as the bird (Sun God) and hybrid creatures (Déesse de la lumière) remind us that all living beings, whatever they may be, are equally important. Associating the female body with the notion of “Mother Nature”, the artist invites us into a dreamlike universe where harmony reigns between all forms of life.
This ideal of a respected nature in a world no longer dominated solely by men reflects a pioneering eco-feminist approach and the great relevance of the artist's message.
Why visit the exhibition?
- A unique interpretation of the artist's work through the influence that animals and imaginary creatures had on her art throughout her life,
- The discovery of monumental works set in the unique environment of the Hôtel de Caumont (garden, courtyard),
- An immersion in an initiatory journey, following in the footsteps of a sculptor, performer, and director, a pioneer of ecofeminism in contemporary art.
Come and discover the Niki de Saint Phalle exhibition at the Hôtel de Caumont in Aix-en-Provence, and let yourself be surprised by the fascinating creatures from the poetic, powerful and committed world of a French-American artist who left her mark on 20th-century art...
This event is supported by the Niki Charitable Art Foundation. 
With the patronage of
The team
Exhibition curator
The exhibition’s curator, Lucia Pesapane, is an art historian specializing in Niki de Saint Phalle, and has organized the artist’s retrospectives at the Grand Palais in 2014, at Les Abattoirs in Toulouse in 2022-23, and the exhibition at the Museo delle Culture in Milan in 2024. She has worked for fifteen years in French institutions, organizing, among others, the exhibitions Women House and Kiki Smith at the Monnaie de Paris and Pionnières, artistes des années 20 at the Musée du Luxembourg. Her research focuses on the work of women artists from the early 20th century to the present day.
NIKI CHARITABLE ART FOUNDATION
The Niki Charitable Art Foundation, created by Niki de Saint Phalle, became officially active on her death. It represents the artist’s personal collection. It preserves Niki de Saint Phalle’s works of art and archives, and holds the intellectual property rights to them. The Fondation serves as a link and point of contact for all Niki de Saint Phalle-related projects.
Production and creation
Emmanuelle Lussiez, Director of Exhibitions at Culturespaces;
Milly Passigli, Deputy Director of Exhibition Programming;
Madeleine Balansino, Head of Exhibitions at Caumont-Art Centre;
Livia Lérès and Domitille Sechet responsible for iconography at Culturespaces.
Photos
Partners
