Niki de Saint Phalle

© Hassan Mahramzadeh

She had a friendship with Hanover that spanned more than 30 years: Niki de Saint Phalle—born on October 29, 1930, in Paris; died on May 21, 2002, in San Diego. The world-renowned artist most recently and impressively expressed her affection for the city on the Leine River in the fall of 2000 with a single sentence: “I have a very special feeling for Hanover,” said the then 70-year-old.

Niki de Saint Phalle's artistic breakthrough came in the 1950s with her participation in exhibitions of the international group "Nouveaux Réalistes". In addition to her films "Daddy" and "Camélia et le Dragon" and exhibitions in all the world's major museums, numerous extraordinary art projects attracted a great deal of attention in the following decades: For example, the giant Nana "Hon - en katedral" for the Moderna Museet in Stockholm (1966), the "Paradies Fantastique" for the French EXPO pavilion in Montreal (1967), which she designed together with her long-time partner Jean Tinguely, the monster house "Golem" with slides in Jerusalem (1972) and the "Giardino dei Tarocchi" in Tuscany, which was based on an idea from 1974 and was finally completed in 1996.

The installation of the three colorful, voluminous Nanas made of polyester on the banks of the Leine River in Hanover in 1974 sparked a storm of protest among some Hanoverians, but also led to the first lively and in-depth discussion about art in public street spaces. The Nanas, which quickly became landmarks of the EXPO city, are now much loved.

Starting in 1998, Niki de Saint Phalle worked on the redesign of the grotto for the city of Hanover. The honorary citizen of Hanover passed away one year before the completion of the impressive grotto in the Großer Garten. The detailed plans she drew up, along with extensive information provided by her staff, made it possible to complete the (redesigned) grotto. The grotto in Herrenhausen is thus the last major art project that Niki de Saint Phalle completed before her death. For more information about Niki de Saint Phalle, visit the artist’s official website and the Sprengel Museum’s website.