Lot 524 D

The work 'L' Ange Vase' is a characteristic example for the playful dancer-like lightness of Niki de Saint Phalle's Nana sculptures and also has the function of a vase. The first 'Nanas' by Niki de Saint Phalle are created from cloth rags, canvases and wire mesh frames in 1964, inspired by a drawing by the US American artist Larry Rivers, a depiction of his pregnant wife. Two years later, Niki de Saint Phalle changes her work material and uses polyester for the first time so that the voluminous, jolly and very feminine figures can also be placed outdoors. The Nanas evolve into a sort of cult figure that conquers the world in a short space of time and that is retrospectively characterised by the artist as follows: 'I called my first Nana exhibition 'Nana Power'. For me, they were a symbol for a happy, liberated woman. Today, after nearly twenty years, I look at it from a different perspective. I see them as forerunners of a new matriarchal era which I consider to be the only answer. They represent the independent, good, giving and happy mother. Thus, it is not surprising that they evoke such strong emotions of hatred and love within people. The observer is being confronted with his emotions towards his own mother.' (Bettina Scheeder, in: Brigitte Reinhardt (ed.) Niki de Saint Phalle. Liebe, Protest, Phantasie, exhib.cat. Ulmer Museum, Ulm 1999, p.35).