Star Fountain (Blue) sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2001) at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Chicago Illinois IL USA
Wittily executed in the artist's signature sparkling colors, The Star Fountain (Blue) depicts a flamboyant and playful 'Nana' that juggles two large pitchers from which water constantly cascades. Standing nearly 10 feet tall, and made of polyurethane foam, resin, steel armature, glass pebbles, ceramic tiles, mirror and stained glass, the voluptuous female figure is an archetype of feminine power and strength. Decorated with cosmic symbols and stars in shades of white, red, yellow and blue, the majestic Nana celebrates motherhood, sensuality, love and life — themes recurrently explored by Saint Phalle. The sculpture's illusory effects of light and color and the use of water create a magnetic attraction and meditative sensory experience. Installed in the heart of New York's theater district, its mirrored and stained glass tesserae, reflecting the city's flickering lights and vibration, provide a rare opportunity to dive into Saint Phalle's realm — one of whimsy and fantasy. Internationally acclaimed for her oversized, voluptuous female figures, Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) was a French-American, self-taught sculptor, painter and film maker of international prominence. She is best known for her public sculptures, such as the Stravinsky Fountain next to the Centre Pompidou in Paris (1983), the Tarot Garden at Garavicchio in southern Tuscany (1998), the Grotto in Hannover's Royal Herrenhausen Garden (2003), and Queen Califia's Magical Circle in California (2003). Saint Phalle, who began her career as an artist in the 1950s, was awarded the 12th Praemium Imperial Prize, considered to be the equivalent to the Nobel Prize in the art world, in Japan in 2000. Born in 1930, in Neuilly sur Seine, Saint Phalle died in 2002 at the age of 71 in La Jolla, California. From:
Size: 2592px × 3888px
Location: Chicago Illinois IL USA
Photo credit: © Steve Skjold / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: america, american, art, artist, blue, c5382-229, ch02, chicago, conservatory, de, fountain, garfield, il, illinois, indoor, midwest, niki, north, park, phalle, saint, sculpture, skjold, star, states, steve, united, usa, vertical
