Niki de Saint Phalle was a French-American sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monumental sculptors, Saint Phalle was also known for her social commitment and work.She had a difficult and traumatic childhood and a much-disrupted education, which she wrote about many decades later. After an early marriage and two children, she began creating art in a naïve, experimental style. She first received worldwide attention for angry, violent assemblages which had been shot by firearms. These evolved into Nanas, light-hearted, whimsical, colorful, large-scale sculptures of animals, monsters, and female figures. Her most comprehensive work was the Tarot Garden, a large sculpture garden containing numerous works ranging up to house-sized creations.
Saint Phalle's idiosyncratic style has been called "outsider art"; she had no formal training in art, but associated freely with many other contemporary artists, writers, and composers. Her books and abundant correspondence were written and brightly-colored in a childish style, but throughout her lifetime she addressed many controversial and important global problems in the bold way which children often question and call out unacceptable neglect.Throughout her creative career, she collaborated with other well-known artists such as Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, composer John Cage, and architect Mario Botta, as well as dozens of less-known artists and craftspersons. For several decades, she worked especially closely with Swiss kinetic artist Jean Tinguely, who also became her second husband. In her later years, she suffered from multiple chronic health problems attributed to repeated exposure to airborne glass fibers and petrochemical fumes from the experimental materials she had used in her pioneering artworks, but she continued to create prolifically until the end of her life.
A critic has observed that Saint Phalle's "insistence on exuberance, emotion and sensuality, her pursuit of the figurative and her bold use of color have not endeared her to everyone in a minimalist age". She was well known in Europe, but her work was little-seen in the US, until her final years in San Diego. Another critic said: "The French-born, American-raised artist is one of the most significant female and feminist artists of the 20th century, and one of the few to receive recognition in the male-dominated art world during her lifetime".
Sol turns thousands of years of human wisdom from the world’s spiritual traditions into a totally unique personality profile. To get your own profile, check compatibility with friends and much more, download the Sol App today.
Some of their strengths
Niki de Saint Phalle has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Intuitive, Practical, Passionate, Idealistic, Altruistic, Intellectual, and Analytical.
Intense and Passionate
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Niki de Saint Phalle is someone who is an intense, passionate, and intuitive person who is fiercely independent, authentic and direct when engaging with others. A person who is charismatic and resourceful.
Adventurous and Free
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Niki de Saint Phalle well know them as someone who can be talented, wayward and free, like a big river or the ocean.
Courteous and Easygoing
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Niki de Saint Phalle as someone who is polite, modest, and diplomatic.
A person who tends to be socially popular, who loves intellectual or creative activities, who has a talent for communicating with and understanding the needs of others, and who seems to have a knack for getting recognized for their efforts.
Wise and Deep
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Niki de Saint Phalle is someone who tends to have an internal innate wisdom, and who people tend to see as an "old soul".
They are also someone who is calm, comforting, and stable, and who loves stability and being a good friend and loyal partner.
Mysterious and Methodical
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Niki de Saint Phalle tends to be someone who can come across as mysterious and intense, who can be a complex thinker who is methodical and intuitive, and who can overcome challenges that most others would not be able to.
Some of Niki de Saint Phalle's challenges
While Niki de Saint Phalle has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Niki de Saint Phalle can be Materialistic, Stubborn, Complicated, Brusque, Rebellious, Emotionally Distant, and Indecisive.
Complicated and Brusque
One of Niki de Saint Phalle's key challenges is that they are someone who can be complicated and gruff with others.
Niki de Saint Phalle must also exercise caution as they can have a hard time reconciling wants and needs, and can be short-tempered and aggressive.
Indecisive and Materialistic
Niki de Saint Phalle is someone who can be indecisive, indulgent, and materialistic, who can have difficulty focusing on a single career or profession, have difficulty following orders or respecting authority, and who can suffer from "analysis paralysis".
Sensitive and Aggressive
Finally, Niki de Saint Phalle also can be too "touchy-feely", have a hard time expressing feelings, be too aggressive and headstrong, and be too unforgiving of others' mistakes.