Niki de Saint Phalle

Niki de St Phalle

1930 (Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) – 2002 (San Diego, Calif.)

Her childhood friend Mathews eloped with her (and married and divorced). Koch and Ashbery had been longstanding friends of Mathews. She and Tinguely had studios in the Impasse Ronsin: he welded armatures for her, became her partner and her regular artistic collaborator. Duchamp introduced them to Dalí. Arman, Klein, Spoerri and Christo were all members of the Nouveau Réalisme group she and Tinguely were attached to. Rauschenberg, Johns and Rivers also became friends at this time (Rivers’ wife inspiring a whole body of work.) She collaborated with Petit on a ballet, and with Whitehead on a film.