NIKI DE SAINT-PHALLE (French, 1930-2002). Angel of Temperance, 1987. Sculpted resin. 27 x 21 x 8 inches (68.6 x 53.3 x 2...

Description

NIKI DE SAINT-PHALLE (French, 1930-2002)
Angel of Temperance, 1987
Sculpted resin
27 x 21 x 8 inches (68.6 x 53.3 x 20.3 cm)

PROVENANCE:
Commissioned directly from the artist, 1987;
Crow Art Partnership Collection, Dallas.

Born in 1930 in France, Niki de Saint Phalle took up painting and sculpture in the 1950s as therapy for an emotionally tumultuous life. Her method of using guns fired at bags of paint to create splatter designs made her a celebrity artist of her time. Her Nana series of female sculptures in outrageously modern contortions and bright colors brought her wide acclaim. A Niki Museum devoted to her art is in Nasu, Japan. Niki also designed and created a fantasy garden in Tuscany, Italy with large colorful figures and shapes based on tarot cards. This sculpture is a model of Temperance, card number XIIII. The full size piece crowns the chapel of Temperance in the garden in Italy. This model was made for consideration of an additional full sized sculpture to adorn an office building in Dallas. The full size angel was not ordered. Niki said of this visualization of Temperance, card number XIIII, "I had great difficulty understanding this card, it was too far from my passionate nature. Temperance seemed to me to be a compromise. A middle road. One day the light dawned. Temperance is the RIGHT WAY. I made an angel of this card which crowns the chapel of Temperance." Niki continued to be a prolific artist of humorous and colorful works until her death in California in 2002.

A certificate of authenticity by the Niki Charitable Art Foundation will accompany this lot.

More information about NIKI DE SAINT-PHALLE. See also: Saint-Phalle, Niki de, De Saint-Phalle, Niki, Mathews, Niki, Niki de Saint-Phalle, Saint-Phall, Niki de Artist.



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