NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE IN TIMES SQUARE
March 1 - 7, 2011
Niki de Saint Phalle's colossal mosaic sculpture, The Star Fountain (Blue), 1999, will be on view free and open to the public at the 2011 Times Square Show, a major large-scale outdoor group exhibition on Broadway and 42nd St., from March 1 through 7, 2011.
Wittily executed in the artist's signature sparkling colors, The Star Fountain (Blue) depicts a flamboyant and playful 'Nana' that juggles two large pitchers from which water constantly cascades. Standing nearly 10 feet tall, and made of polyurethane foam, resin, steel armature, glass pebbles, ceramic tiles, mirror and stained glass, the voluptuous female figure is an archetype of feminine power and strength. Decorated with cosmic symbols and stars in shades of white, red, yellow and blue, the majestic Nana celebrates motherhood, sensuality, love and life - themes recurrently explored by Saint Phalle.
The sculpture's illusory effects of light and color, and the use of water create a magnetic attraction and meditative sensorial experience. Installed in the heart of New York's theater district, its mirrored and glass stained tesserae, reflecting the city's flickering lights and vibration, provides a rare opportunity to dive into Saint Phalle's realm - one of whimsy and fantasy.
Internationally acclaimed, Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) was a French-American, self taught sculptor, painter and film-maker of international prominence. She is best known for her public sculptures such as The Stravinsky Fountain next to the Centre Pompidou in Paris (1983), The Tarot Garden at Garavicchio in southern Tuscany (1998), The Grotto in Hannover's Royal Herrenhausen Garden (2003), and the Queen Califia's Magical Circle in California (2003). De Saint Phalle, who began her career as an artist in the 1950s doing shooting paintings, was awarded in 2000 the 12th Praemium Imperial Prize in Japan, considered to be the equivalent to the Nobel Prize in the art world. Born in 1930, in Neuilly Sur Seine, Saint Phalle died in 2002, at the age of 71 in La Jolla, California.
This work is presented by the Nohra Haime Gallery, with the support of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation, in collaboration with the Armory Art Show and the Times Square Alliance.
The Nohra Haime Gallery represents the Niki Charitable Art Foundation.
PLACE: Times Square on Broadway and 42nd St., New York City
DATES: March 1 - 7, 2011
RECEPTION: March 1st from 7 - 9 p.m. at the Times Square Visitor Center
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ana Maria de la Ossa at 212-888-3550 or gallery@nohrahaimegallery.com
