Colorful and whimsical, controversial and surprising, the work of French American artist Niki de Saint Phalle defies simple categorization. Her work centers around feminist rage and feminist celebration, exploring themes including gender oppression, violence, and joy. She taught herself how to paint and sculpt, developing a unique style that was equal parts expressive and experimental. Among her best-known works are Nanas, a series of large-scale sculptures featuring voluptuous female figures that celebrate the empowerment of women, and Tirs, a group of mixed media paintings created in a literal explosion of energy and performance. Attaching bags of colorful paint, knives, dolls, and other household items to vertical plaster slabs, Saint Phalle used her rifle to shoot the bags during a public target practice, releasing the paint to bleed and objects to splatter in dynamic, violent forms.

–from the Glenstone Field Guide