TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS …………………………………………………………………..................... iii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………..................... 1 2. THE TIRS …………………………………………………………………................................... 6 3. THE BIRTHS AND BRIDES …………………………………………………....................... 24 4. HON-EN KATEDRAL ………………………………………………………..…..................... 39 5. CONCLUSION …………………………………………………………….................................. 57 BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………..................................................... 59 ii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Niki de Saint PhaLLe, My Shoes or Memory of a Shoot, 1961. (Photo: Larry Qualls Archive). 2. Niki de Saint PhaLLe, Grand Tir – Séance Galerie J, 1961. (Photo: Galerie Vallois, Paris). 3. ShOOtinG SeSSiOn at the ImpaSSe ROnSin, 1961. (PhOtO: The Getty ReSearch InStitute, LOS AnGeLeS). 4. Shooting Session at GaLerie J, 1961. (Photo: The Getty Research Institute, Los AnGeLeS). 5. Niki de Saint PhaLLe, La Mariée (Eva Maria), 1963. (PhOtO: Centre POmpidOu, Paris). 6. Niki de Saint PhaLLe, Accouchement Blanc ou Ghea (White Birth or Gaea), 1964. (PhOtO: Centre POmpidOu, PariS). 7. InstaLLation view, exterior. Hon-en katedral, 1966, MOderna MuSeet, StOckhOLm. (PhOtO: MOderna MuSeet, StOckhOLm). 8. InstaLLation view, interior. Hon-en katedral, 1966, MOderna MuSeet, StOckhOLm. (PhOtO: MOderna MuSeet, StOckhOLm). 9. InstaLLation view, interior. Hon-en katedral, 1966, Moderna Museet, StOckhOLm. (PhOtO: MOderna MuSeet, StOckhOLm). 10. Niki de Saint PhaLLe and Larry Rivers, Portrait of Clarice Rivers, 1964. (Photo: Niki CharitabLe Art FOundatiOn). 11. Niki posing for Hon, 1966. (PhOtO: Niki CharitabLe Art FOundatiOn). 12. Niki de Saint Phalle, Plan for Nana Town, 1967. (PhOtO: Niki CharitabLe Art Foundation). iii 1 INTRODUCTION Throughout her career, Niki de Saint PhaLLe’S diverSe bOdy Of wOrk examined the Subject Of wOmen and the adverSitieS that wOmen Of the 20th century faced. Best known fOr her NanaS, larger-than-life sculptureS of vOluptuous and brightly cOLOred femaLe fiGureS, Saint PhaLLe’S earLy wOrk datinG frOm the firSt haLf Of the 1960S haS received LeSS attentiOn frOm criticS and art hiStOrianS. ThiS prOject wiLL cOnSider three diStinct bOdieS Of wOrk frOm thiS periOd: the Tirs (French for “shots”), tactile aSSembLaGeS that the artiSt beGan ShOOtinG with a .22 caLiber rifle in 1961, the BirthS and BrideS, a serieS of figurative relief sculptureS that Saint Phalle prOduced between 1962-1965, and Hon-en katedral (Swedish for “She – a cathedral”) of 1966, the artiSt’S firSt monumentaL ScuLpture, which tOOk the fOrm Of a recLininG femaLe fiGure fiLLed with interiOr inStaLLatiOnS. The firSt chapter wiLL examine the Tirs with a focus on two key works: My Shoes or Memory of a Shoot and Grand Tir – Séance Galerie J (Grand Shoot – GaLLery J Session) of 1961. The second chapter wilL anaLyze the Births and Brides, LOOking specifically to La Mariée (Eva Maria) of 1963 and Accouchement Blanc ou Ghea (White Birth or Gaea) of 1964. The third chapter wilL addreSS Hon, analyzing the exterior structure of the sculpture, as well as the instaLLation pieces it contained. I wiLL be uSinG theSe three bOdieS Of wOrk tO expLOre the deveLOpment Of twO Of Saint PhaLLe’S key SubjectS, the cOnditiOn Of wOmen and the repreSentatiOn Of the femaLe bOdy, acrOSS her ScuLpturaL wOrk datinG frOm 1961 tO 1966. PredatinG the 2 fOrmatiOn Of the Mouvement de Libération des Femmes (MLF) and the more unified feminiSt movement that fOLLOwed the May 1968 prOteStS in France, Saint PhaLLe’S earLy wOrk repreSentS a nOtabLe exampLe Of prOtO-feminiSt expresSion. When Saint PhaLLe deveLOped her bOdy Of wOrk in the earLy 1960S, feminiSt cOncernS had OnLy just begun to find a place in postwar art practice, leaving her with a Limited diScOurSe tO buiLd upOn. As a reSuLt, Saint PhaLLe’S treatment Of wOmen’S issues in the firSt half of the 1960S depended largely on the current sOciO-pOLiticaL cLimate and the Limited feminiSt diaLOGue that waS avaiLabLe at the time. ThiS prOject wiLL expLOre the evOLutiOn Of fOrm and cOntent in Saint PhaLLe’S early sculpture thrOuGh theSe diStinct LenSeS, cOntempLatinG and re-contextualizing her protO-feminiSt expLOratiOn Of the femaLe bOdy. I wiLL Situate her wOrk within the pOStwar pOLiticaL, inteLLectuaL and artiStic cLimate in PariS, where She waS primariLy living and workinG durinG thiS periOd. Each chapter wiLL demonStrate a criticaL Shift in her sculpturaL practice, and anaLyze it in relation to a particular culturaL context. FOrmaLLy, thiS prOject wiLL iLLuStrate a prOGreSSiOn frOm an abStract, SymbOLic representation Of the bOdy, tO a more directLy fiGurative – and eventually, monumentaL – body sculpture. The first chapter wilL argue for a connection between the Tirs and the extreme viOLence aSSOciated with the French-AlGerian War. The SecOnd chapter wiLL ilLustrate a Link between Saint PhaLLe’S BirthS and BrideS and the feminiSt rhetOric Of Simone de BeauvOir. In the finaL chapter, Hon will be explored in relatiOn to historicaL conceptions of sexuaLity and space. By applying these different lenses to Saint Phalle’s early sculpture, I hope to re-contextualize her radical approach to 3 wOmen’S iSSueS, anaLyze the evOLutiOn Of the femaLe bOdy in her wOrk thrOuGhOut the 1960S and prOvide cLarity reGardinG an earLy feminiSt perSpective that haS Often been miSunderStOOd. DeSpite beinG ShOwn at majOr inStitutiOnS, incLudinG a 2014-2015 retrOSpective at Grand PaLaiS and the GuGGenheim MuSeum BiLbaO, there iS a shortage of criticaL Literature addressing the work of Niki de Saint PhaLLe. In the Limited SchOLarShip that iS avaiLabLe, hiStOrianS have cOme tO underStand the artiSt’S cOmpLex Oeuvre thrOuGh a primariLy biOGraphicaL methOdOLOGicaL apprOach. ThiS iS a logical lens to take up in regardS to Saint Phalle, as the artiSt consiStently streSSed her life story, both in interviewS and in her Own writinG. As curatOr Of her recent retrOSpective, CamiLLe MOrineau expLainS, “When Saint PhaLLe takeS up her pen, Often as the sOle authOr of her catalogueS or writing and rewriting her biOgraphy several timeS, SiGninG cOmmentarieS On her wOrkS in the third perSOn and SOmetimeS ObScurinG the readinG Of her wOrkS, She iS mereLy paLLiatinG the abSence Of inteLLiGent and infOrmed criticiSm Of her Oeuvre.”1 ThiS apprOach remainS particuLarLy dOminant in reLatiOn tO Saint PhaLLe’S feminiSt perSpective, aS her biOGraphy directLy refLected many Of the key StruGGLeS that wOmen Of the 20th century faced. Due to an aristocratic Catholic upbringing that urGed her tOwardS marriaGe and motherhOOd, Catherine DOSSin deScribeS Saint PhalLe’s Life StOry aS a “text bOOk exampLe” Of the pLiGht Of wOmen in the 1960S and 1 CamiLLe MOrineau, “An Oeuvre That SurpaSSeS the LimitS” in Niki de Saint Phalle 1930-2002, ed. PhiLip SuttOn (BiLbaO: FMGB GuGGenheim BiLbaO MuSeOa and La Fábrica, 2015), 30. 4 1970s.2 DoubtLessly, her personaL experience wouLd have pLayed a Large role in infOrminG her feminiSt Stance. HOwever, aS DOSSin’S Statement indicateS, thOSe experiences were refLective Of LarGer SyStematic iSSueS that affected many wOmen, not just Saint Phalle. I dO nOt intend tO deny the impOrtance Of Saint PhaLLe’S biOGraphicaL detaiLS in the LarGer prOject Of anaLyzinG her Oeuvre and itS feminiSt cOncernS. HOwever, thiS particular study wilL consider her work through an under-utilized lens, one which cOntempOrary SchOLarS Like CamiLLe MOrineau, Catherine DOSSin and AmeLia Jones have onLy recentLy started to appLy to Niki de Saint PhaLLe. The biographicaL apprOach neglects the tense socio-hiStOricaL cLimate in which Saint PhaLLe prOduced thiS bOdy Of wOrk, and perSOnaLizeS StruGGLeS and cOncernS that appLied tO wOmen thrOughOut weStern sOciety. By situating thiS particular body of work within its cultural context, linking it tO bOth cOntempOraneOuS eventS and the exiStinG feminiSt discourse in France, I hope to push this approach further and expand upon the Lens thrOugh which we underStand Saint Phalle’s larger oeuvre. As Catherine DOSSin haS arGued, deSpite Saint PhaLLe’S distinct muLticuLturaLiSm (movinG back and fOrth between France and the United StateS thrOuGhOut her Life), her feminiSt Stance iS much more cLearLy underStOOd in the context of French politics and social conventions, as this is where she lived and 2 Catherine DOSSin. “Niki de Saint PhaLLe and the MaSquerade Of Hyperfemininity,” Women’s Art Journal 31.2 (2010): 29, http://www.jstor.org/stabLe/41331082. 5 produced much Of the wOrk frOm thiS periOd.3 This understanding aLso helps to reduce the riSk Of GeneraLizinG different feminiSt movementS acrOSS the weStern wOrLd. ULtimateLy I hOpe tO Situate thiS bOdy Of wOrk cLearLy in itS SOciO-historicaL context, encouraginG a methOdOLOGicaL apprOach that haS yet tO receive adequate attentiOn frOm art hiStOrianS. 3 Dossin. “Niki de Saint PhaLLe,” 34-36. 6 THE TIRS Niki de Saint PhaLLe created her first Tirs or Shooting Paintings in February of 1961 OutSide Of the StudiO She Shared with Jean TinGueLy at the ImpaSSe ROnSin in Paris.1 The reSuLtinG wOrkS cOmbine eLementS Of paintinG and ScuLpture, incorporating found objects that are unified in high relief by an erratic spattering of cOLOr. ThOrOuGhLy punctured and drippinG with paint, theSe aSSembLaGeS appear wOunded and viOLated, the victims Of a viOLent act. Within an Oeuvre deprived Of serious scholarship, the TirS have received more attentiOn frOm art hiStOrianS, finding incluSiOn in majOr cataLOGueS that deaL with perfOrmance and the bOdy.2 DeSpite