Niki de Saint Phalle
PARADIS RETROUVÉ

Opera Gallery Paris
19 October - 30 November 2022

Opera Gallery Paris is delighted to present Niki de Saint Phalle, Paradis Retrouvé, displaying the dynamic and feminist works conveyed through her beautiful and fantastical world. About thirty exceptional works by the Franco-American artist are presented, highlighting her creativity through a variety of techniques and materials in a universe populated by imaginary animals and colourful Nanas. The exhibition draws parallels with the famous Tarot Garden, a group of sculptures made in Tuscany between 1978 and 1998, which recreates his dreamlike style on a human scale. Niki de Saint Phalle’s passion for esotericism and her practice of palmistry was also inspired by the divination of tarot cards. Within her oeuvre we see allusions to the Garden of Eden with the imposing sculpture of Adam and Eve and the recurring and iconic image of the snake, as well as that of the tree of life.


Throughout her career, Saint Phalle never ceased to weave fragments of her own life into her work. The cathartic benefits of the creative act thus offered her the opportunity to escape into a world that obeyed its own codes. Her rounded figures, often monumental, tame the demons that inhabit the artist. Paradis Retrouvé is in this sense a fantastic garden imagined by Saint Phalle, inhabited by gigantic sculptures and devouring monsters. This places the art of Saint Phalle “between two poles, Heaven and Hell”, as Pierre Restany, New Realism art critic, said regarding her oeuvre. Her work acted as a form of therapy, allowing her to externalize the pains and reveries she grew up with.

Niki de Saint Phalle

White Tree
1972
Resin polyester assembled on wood panel
244,5 x 122 x 22 cm | 96.3 x 48 x 8.7 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Lampe angulaire
1992
Painted polyester, metal and light bulbs
198 x 124 x 50 cm | 78 x 48.8 x 19.7 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Le Faucon bleu
1980
Painted polyester, metal and light bulbs
66 x 37 x 21 cm | 26 x 14.6 x 8.3 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

L’Oiseau amoureux (cerf-volant / kite), Circa
1988
Watercolour, coloured crayon and acrylic on Japanese paper laid down on silk
260 x 285 cm | 102.4 x 112.2 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Chat (bleu violet), Circa
1965
Painted fiberglass
94,5 x 101 x 64 cm | 37.2 x 39.8 x 25.2 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Grand Chameau
1991
Painted resin
97 x 170 x 45 cm | 38.2 x 66.9 x 17.7 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Obélisque serpents
1987
Painted resin
30 x 14 cm | 11.8 x 5.5 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Sphinx
1990
Painted polyester with gold leaf
28 x 43 x 29 cm | 11 x 16.9 x 11.4 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Spider
1962 - 1995
Manganese bronze
139 x 226 x 29 cm | 54.7 x 89 x 11.4 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

I am Upside Down, Green (Remembering)
1997
Acrylic on polyester resin
117 x 80 x 14 cm | 46.1 x 31.5 x 5.5 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Collaboration (Remembering)
1998
Fiberglass and painted polyester
84 x 74 x 13 cm | 33 x 29 x 5 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Nana moyenne danseuse
1967
Painted resin
58 x 40 x 20 cm | 22.8 x 15.7 x 7.9 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Do You Like My New Dress, Black (Remembering)
1997 - 2000
Fiberglass and painted polyester
99 x 55,8 x 10,1 cm | 39 x 22 x 4 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Nana
1993
Painted marble
190,5 x 109 x 56 cm | 75 x 43 x 22 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Fauteuil noir
1980
Painted polyester
102 x 79 x 70 cm | 40.2 x 31.1 x 27.6 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Le miroir (Magie du miroir)
1980
Mirror, painted polyester and wood
106 x 152 x 25,5 cm | 41.7 x 59.8 x 10 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Clarice chaise femme
1982
Painted polyester
119 x 114 x 80 cm | 46.9 x 44.9 x 31.5 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Ange vase (Black)
1993
Painted polyester and ceramic
99 x 57 x 32 cm | 39 x 22.4 x 12.6 in

Niki de Saint Phalle

Adam et Eve
1985
Painted polyester and fiberglass
154 x 185 x 158 cm | 60.6 x 72.8 x 62.2 in

"In the field of art, men have exhausted everything, and it is now up to women to create something new."

Niki de Saint Phalle