“Why the nanas? Well, first because I am one myself. Because my work is very personal and I try to express what I feel. It is the theme that touches me most closely. Since women are oppressed in today’s society I have tried, in my own personal way, to contribute to the Women’s Liberation Movement.”
—Niki de Saint Phalle
Niki de Saint Phalle, whose innovative work in utilitarian sculpture redefined an entire genre of contemporary art, was known as “the beauty who challenged the beast of public taste.”i Best known for her monumental public works, de Saint Phalle’s unconventional approach to sculpture cemented her place at the center of a male-dominated field, one that she continually challenged in the realms of gender archetypes and orthodoxy. Through her artistic explorations de Saint Phalle carefully approached and rejected the “accepted female role images such as passivity, withdrawal, shyness, and the willingness to play second fiddle, she directed a sharp criticism at the prejudiced images of male society. In her work she left behind the old female roles and formulated new ones and opportunities, thus anticipating the dialectics of the birth of a possible new world from the destruction of the old.”2
Niki de Saint Phalle created her first Nana sculpture in 1964 after a visit with her friend, and wife of artist Larry Rivers, Clarice Rivers who was then pregnant with her first child. Nana, French slang for “chick”, became the vision of a modern representation of femininity and motherhood. Often posed in joyful and triumphant poses, these sculptures of voluptuous women took a variety of different forms over decades of work. Monumental Nanas have been installed in parks and museums all over the world from Central Park in New York to the Venice Biennale and were also used as a tool of artistic activism, with Black Rosy, or My Heart Belongs to Rosy (1965) representing the artist’s belief that all women are goddesses regardless of the color of their skin. In the present example, Nana Mode Rose - Nana Golden Turban, we see the vibrant color and pattern – along with the undeniable joy– that has become synonymous with Nana imagery.
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