Full Schedule:
11am | Studio visit, artist talk & breakfast at the studio of Chellis Baird (ART-FULL MEMBERS ONLY)
Reiss Studios, 43-01 22nd St, Queens
1pm | Niki de Saint Phalle exhibit at MOMA PS1
22-25 Jackson Avenue, Queens
2:30pm | Optional brunch/drinks at Levante (ART-FULL MEMBERS ONLY)
26-21 Jackson Ave, Queens
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More about Structures for Life & Niki de Saint Phalle:
”An enfant terrible ever trying to escape the bourgeois existence into which she was born, Niki de Saint-Phalle taught herself painting and rose to artistic prominence through her colorful monumental outdoor sculptures of extravagantly voluptuous female figures. Early in her career, she became known for the abstract paintings she made by placing paint-filled bags above canvases and shooting them—a form of protest against patriarchy and rigidity. Through her “nanas”, a series of life-size papier maché dolls of the proverbial “everywoman”—including brides and mothers giving birth—de Saint-Phalle contemplated women’s societal roles. Later, inspired by Antoni Gaudí´s Parc Güell in Barcelona, she set out to create something equally impressive but made by a woman; the result was Il Giardino dei Tarocchi (The Tarot Garden), a garden filled with colorful sculptures based on Tarot card symbols, which she created over 20 years on land she acquired in Tuscany.” (bio courtesy of Artsy)
Niki de Saint Phalle: Structures for Life features over 200 works that highlight Saint Phalle’s interdisciplinary approach and engagement with pressing social issues. Innovation was key to Saint Phalle’s process: from beginning to end, she envisioned new ways of inhabiting the world.