Niki de Saint Phalle's 'Nikifizierung' at Galerie Judin Berlin
Galerie Judin in Berlin presents 'Nikifizierung', an exhibition centered on Niki de Saint Phalle's 'Les Trois Grâces', a trio of mosaic Nana figures originally designed in the 1990s for a fountain on Lützowplatz. The project failed due to resistance from the city administration. The exhibition also explores the artist's fraught relationship with Germany, notably the 1974 controversy in Hanover over three monumental Nanas commissioned by the city, which sparked public outrage and media debate. Saint Phalle's Nanas were defended by the group 'Freunde der Nanas'. The artist later created major public works like the 'Strawinski-Brunnen' with Jean Tinguely in Paris and the Tarot Garden in Tuscany. In Duisburg, a Saint Phalle fountain was realized in 1993, with a base by Tinguely, completed after his death by Seppi Imhof. The exhibition runs at Galerie Judin in Berlin.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Nikifizierung' at Galerie Judin, Berlin, features Niki de Saint Phalle's 'Les Trois Grâces'.
- The three mosaic figures—white, black, and silver—were designed in the 1990s for a fountain on Lützowplatz.
- The fountain project was initiated by Karin Pott, then director of Haus am Lützowplatz.
- The project failed due to resistance from Berlin's city administration.
- A different version of the group (with a yellow figure) was installed in 2010 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C.
- In 1974, Hanover commissioned three monumental Nanas, sparking widespread controversy.
- The 'Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung' created a dedicated letters section for the debate.
- The group 'Freunde der Nanas' defended the sculptures.
- Saint Phalle collaborated with Jean Tinguely on the 'Strawinski-Brunnen' at Centre Pompidou, Paris.
- A Saint Phalle fountain was realized in Duisburg in 1993, with a base by Tinguely, completed by Seppi Imhof.
Entities
Artists
- Niki de Saint Phalle
- Jean Tinguely
- Seppi Imhof
- Mario Botta
Institutions
- Galerie Judin
- Haus am Lützowplatz
- National Museum of Women in the Arts
- Centre Pompidou
- Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung
- Freunde der Nanas
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Hanover
- Duisburg
- Hamburg
- Nuremberg
- Paris
- Tuscany
- Washington D.C.
- Lützowplatz
- Leineufer
- Königstraße