Niki de Saint Phalle

Niki de Saint Phalle had a difficult and traumatic childhood, about which she wrote many decades later. After an early marriage and two children, she began creating art in a naive, experimental style. She gained recognition by creating violent assemblages that were shot at with firearms. She became world-famous with her 'Nanas', brightly colored sculptures of female figures. She never received formal art training but found a connection with the art movement Nouveau Realisme. She associated with numerous other artists, writers, and composers, including the Swiss kinetic artist Jean Tinguely, who also became her second husband. Despite her childlike style, she addressed many controversial and important (global) issues. In her later years, she suffered from multiple chronic health problems attributed to repeated exposure to fiberglass and petrochemical fumes from the experimental materials she worked with.