The sculptures of Niki de Saint Phalle

[jtb1951]

These are photos from an exhibit, entitled Niki In The Garden currently running at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. I'll let the conservatory's description tell the story: "The brilliantly colored sculptures by the world-renowned artist Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) include enormous animals, mythical figures, totems, sports heroes and Nanas – oversized, powerful women celebrating life. Covered with ceramic mosaics, semi-precious stones, mirrors and glass, many invite sitting, climbing or crawling through their secret passages and interiors. Both art lovers and the entire family will be amazed by these monumental works of art, with some reaching as high as 18 feet and as long as 25 feet."

We found it to be an extraordinary collection of imaginative figures. I hope you enjoy the photos!

John.

[jtb1951]

Here are five more!

John.

[jtb1951]

Five more!

John.

[vicki]

These are so much fun--thanks for posting the pictures, John! I dearly love mosaics and mosaic/mirror combinations, and these are terrific. I think my favorite is the trumpet-player. I also love the fertility-Kali looking lady with flaming hair. In fact, most of the ladies remind me of the ancient fertility goddesses. Very cool!

John, if there are any good Chicago exhibitions like this coming up, let us know. Some of us might be tempted to start looking for special air fares!

[jtb1951]

John, if there are any good Chicago exhibitions like this coming up, let us know. Some of us might be tempted to start looking for special air fares!

I'll keep my eyes pealed for future exhibits and let the VBC know. (of course, any time is a great time to visit Chicago; there is always something going on to appeal to almost any taste!!:)

In the meantime, here are some more shots from the Niki exhibit.

John.

[jtb1951]

And more Niki!

John.

[jtb1951]

And some more Niki!

John.

[vicki]

Wow--those are fabulous, John! Thanks for posting those. The golfer, the cat, the skull and the lady riding the dolphin are my favorites, I think, but I love all of them.

Oh, and I increased the number of attachments for each post to 30, so that should be more workable for these great exhibition galleries and other larger photo-groupings.


of course, any time is a great time to visit Chicago; there is always something going on to appeal to almost any taste!!:)


It really is a wonderful city--I look forward to my next visit! I'd love to do an architectural tour next time. Speaking of which, you mentioned elsethread about possibly posting some Taliesin pics, which would be cool! FLW left a lot to be desired in many aspects of his behavior and personality, but he sure had the genius-thing going on when it came to architecture. I'd love to make a pilgrimage to Fallingwater some day.

[jtb1951]

The last of Niki! Enjoy! (The grouping of three are titled The Three Graces, also shown individually!)

John.

[vicki]

Thanks for these also, John! It's so nice to be able to "visit" such a wonderful exhibition through your posts. The three graces are lovely, but I think my favorites are the first one (kind of a hydra thing going--cool!) and the last, as I love the eagle. Fabulous!