Niki de Saint Phalle In Print
Known for the fearless energy she brought to performances, sculptures, and installations, French American artist Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002) also pursued a vigorous printmaking practice. This exhibition, drawn from NMWA’s collection, exemplifies Saint Phalle’s use of a vibrant palette, animated figural style, and distinctive handwriting to reveal her insights and dreams.
As a child and as a young self-taught artist, Saint Phalle experienced mistreatment and repression. She described her art as blending joy, color, and fantasy with an “aggressive humor” that alludes to underlying discomfort—and resistance. Many of her prints feature voluptuous female figures called Nanas (a French slang term for “sassy young women”), which subvert conventional ideals for women’s bodies. Her series “Californian Diary” (1993–94) offers reflections on the beauty and hardships of her community as well as the need for social engagement.
The centerpiece of Saint Phalle’s life’s work is Tarot Garden (1974–1998), an expansive sculpture park that she built in the hills of Tuscany. She created numerous prints depicting the Major Arcana from a tarot deck; several are on view here. Through bright pigments and collaged pieces of sparkly sticker paper, the artist conveys the intensity of these archetypes, which symbolize forces that shape human life. Each print by Niki de Saint Phalle reveals her power as an artist, poet, and philosopher.
Niki de Saint Phalle In Print is organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts and generously supported by the members of NMWA.
Large-print transcriptions of labels and texts within the artworks are available in this gallery. To access these and other exhibition-related resources online, visit nmwa.org/saint-phalle or scan the QR code on the wall.
Non-flash photography is encouraged. Share and tag us on social media: #NMWAnow @WomenInTheArts
This large-print guide is ordered presuming you enter the Long Gallery from the Rotunda and immediately read the exhibition introduction on the nearest wall parallel to the sliding glass doors.
What Do You Like the Most About Me?, 1970
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Rêve, 1971
Lithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Dear Diana I’m So Happy!, 1968
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Saint Phalle often penned texts (within her artworks as well as published essays) in the form of a letter, making her messages feel more intimate and direct. In this print, “Susan” pens a letter to “Diana” describing treatments and purchases made to capture the heart of “Joe.” The print’s lighthearted tone satirizes the circumscribed roles and relationships conventionally assigned to women.
Dear Laura, 1980
Lithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
My Love Why Did You Go Away?, 1968
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Why Don’t You Love Me?, 1968
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Saint Phalle made a series of prints with texts seemingly directed to a wayward lover. Her words and images express the joy and pain that—often simultaneously—characterize the human condition. This print’s bright color and lively drawings (which include several of the artist’s favored symbols, such as hearts, faces, and Nana figures) invoke the excitement and delight brought by love. The imploring texts alongside the drawings convey the hurt and self-doubt that can overcome humans, too.
You Are My Love Forever and Ever and Ever, 1968
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Abortion—Freedom of Choice (Population Explosion), 2001
Lithograph with collage on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
In 2001, Saint Phalle created a series of prints addressing social issues she cared about, many of which are still debated globally today. In this composition, she defends women’s reproductive rights, noting her opinions on domestic abuse, world hunger, teenage motherhood, and attacks on abortion clinics. With drawings and ornamented lettering, she invites dialogue and delivers a call to action.
Global Warming, 2001
Lithograph with collage on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Californian Diary (Telephone), 1993
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
The print series “Californian Diary” reflects Saint Phalle’s experiences during her first year living in La Jolla, California, her home for the last decade of her life. The text in this work is a wide-ranging reflection on the natural beauty of Southern California along with urgent social concerns, such as sexual violence. Drawings of animals and human faces nestle in Saint Phalle’s dense matrices of curving black and blue lines.
Tarot Garden, 1991
Lithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Tarot Garden (1974–1998), the artist’s sculpture park in Garavicchio, Italy, is filled with twenty-two monumental sculptures and structures, some the size of small houses and with finished interiors. Representing the Major Arcana of the tarot card deck, these steel-and-concrete constructions are covered with mirror shards and colorful glass and ceramic mosaic tiles. This print presents a topographical view of the sculptures clustered in the garden’s center. The site opens to visitors each spring and closes in the fall.
Justice Card No. 8, 1999
Lithograph with collage on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
The Sun Card No. XIX, 1998
Lithograph with collage on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Saint Phalle viewed the named cards in the tarot deck as illuminations of the human experience. The Sun Card signifies success, vitality, and personal growth. Saint Phalle depicts the sun as a bird with its wings spread wide, as if taking off in flight. She noted that many Indigenous cultures in the Americas associate the sun with a bird, as they are the creatures that rise highest in the sky.
Temperance, 1997
Lithograph with collage on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
The Falling Tower Card No. XVI, 1997
Lithograph with collage on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Californian Diary (Black is Different), 1994
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Among her sculptures and prints, Saint Phalle developed curvaceous female figures she called “Nanas,” powerful and spirited feminine archetypes. Striving to be an ally, she made many works depicting Black Nanas, some of them signifying pathbreaking historical figures such as Josephine Baker and Rosa Parks. The text in this work describes the artist’s growing consciousness later in her life about the nature of race and the complexity of identity.
Californian Diary (Order and Chaos), 1994
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Californian Diary (Shamu! Killer Whale), 1993
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Californian Diary (Queen Califia), 1994
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Califia, a Black woman warrior featured in a popular sixteenth-century epic that likely inspired the name of California, appears in Saint Phalle’s sculptures and printed images. Califia was said to rule over a kingdom of women able to tame wild animals, and the artist incorporated numerous creatures into her composition, with Califia at the center. Saint Phalle also studied the geological formation of California. Her text in this print references the joining of tectonic plates as described by contemporary geologists.
Californian Diary (Temperance), 1994
Serigraph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation
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