Niki

Between plastic flowers and target practice: Niki de Saint Phalle became world-famous with her Nana sculptures, as the artist who shot at paintings with knives and guns. Her life story is full of abysses. Around 1950, the young Niki leaves everything behind and moves to France with her husband and daughter. As a model and actress, Niki dreams of a bigger life in Paris. She always carries the demons of her childhood with her. At some point, Niki breaks down and spends time in a psychiatric ward. Here she fights for nothing less than the truth of her life. A strong will and creative elemental force allow her to break free and invent a new language of art that tells of violence, hope and femininity. She created Nanas in all shapes and colours, the ‘whores’ of the present, into which the public could enter and exit. Her art became her weapon - poetic, creative and unerring. And she hit: the boundaries of the established art world.