Phalle, Niki de Saint (1930–2002)

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Phalle, Niki de Saint (1930–2002)

French sculptor, painter and filmmaker. Born Catherine Marie-Agnes Fal de Saint Phalle, Oct 29, 1930, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France; died May 21, 2002; dau. of Jeanne Jacqueline (Harper) and Andre Marie-Fal de Saint Phalle; m. Harry Mathews (div. 1960); m. Jean Tinguely (Swiss artist), 1971; children: 2.

Moved to US with family (1933); lived in New York (1933–51), where she began career as a fashion model; married young and had 2 children; returned to Paris and took up painting; held 1st exhibition in Switzerland (1956); introduced shooting paintings (1961); became known for her oversize figures of women (earth-mother sculptures, or Nanas) found in gardens and parks; returned to NY (1960s), where she was prominent in the development of Happenings, an effort to integrate art and life; famed for her monumental mosaics, Cyclops, in the Fontainbleu forest near Paris, and Tarot Garden (Giardino del Tarocchi), near Tuscany, Italy.