Niki de Saint Phalle Angel Vase, 1993
Polyester, flash paint, varnish, ceramic
98 x 55 x 37 cm
The work is from Niki de Saint Phalle's most iconic body of work, her Nana series, begun in the mid-60s. Inspired by her growing feminist consciousness and the desire to challenge traditional representations of the female body in art, the vibrant, rotund, colorful female figures contrast heavily with the stark, monumental, and often masculine styles of her contemporaries. Saint Phalle's unique brand of feminist art expresses both angst and pleasure in full and equal measure and explores the complex and confounding ways in which culture and biology co-construct the female experience.