Table of Contents
Niki de Saint Phalle was a very talented sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colourful hand-illustrated books.
In today’s article, we will be taking a look into his life as we find out more information about him as well as his actual cause of death.
Niki de Saint Phalle Biography
Niki de Saint Phalle, born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle on October 29, 1930, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, near Paris, was a French-American sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author known for her colourful hand-illustrated books and monumental sculptures.
Saint Phalle surmounted obstacles like a rough and traumatic background and a disrupted education to rise to prominence in the art world.
Saint Phalle started her artistic career with an amateurish and experimental aesthetic following an early marriage and the birth of two children. But what gained her international acclaim were the angry and violent assemblages she made by shooting guns at them.
These pieces grew into her distinctive Nanas, which were whimsy and bright sculptures of creatures, women, and animals. The Tarot Garden, a sculpture garden with multiple house-sized sculptures, was her greatest and most well-known design.
Saint Phalle’s distinctive aesthetic, frequently referred to as “outsider art,” was influenced by her lack of formal training in the arts.
She nevertheless maintained open relationships with numerous modern musicians, writers, and artists. Her colourful, innocent writing style made her books and communications stand out.
Despite this, she boldly and fearlessly tackled contentious and international problems, frequently recalling a young child challenging outrageous neglect.
Saint Phalle, a well-known advocate for social concerns, utilised her art as a platform to speak out against significant political, religious, racial, gender, and cultural issues of the day.
Her disobedience as a member of the second wave of feminism was represented in her work as was the brutality of the Algerian War for Independence. Interestingly, she supported gun rights control despite the fact that her Tirs series featured weapons.
The curvaceous Nanas, one of her most well-known series, highlighted the female form with their voluminous breasts and buttocks, outstretched limbs, and joyful dance poses.
She was also one of the first artists to support AIDS awareness, producing works of art and literature that teach about the disease.
She used her paintings to communicate her disapproval of the George W. Bush administration in the years prior to her passing.
Saint Phalle struggled with emphysema, asthma, and severe arthritis towards the end of her life, which she blamed on exposure to the chemicals she employed in her artwork. She persisted in exploring new locations, technologies, and art media despite these obstacles.
Niki de Saint Phalle passed suddenly on May 21, 2002, leaving behind a legacy of daring and colourful artwork that questioned social standards and tackled significant concerns.
Her contributions to the art world and her commitment to social problems have made her a well-known name in the annals of modern art.
Niki de Saint Phalle Cause Of Death
Niki de Saint Phalle is known to have died from Emphysema a condition that has to do with respiratory failure.
Poisonous fumes from the materials she employed over the course of all those years to create her lifetime’s work in Italy may have harmed her lungs.