Niki de Saint Phalle is a jewelry piece created by the French artist Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002).
History of creation
Niki de Saint Phalle began creating jewelry in the early 1970s together with the Italian jeweler Giancarlo Montebello, founder of the Gem Montebello gallery.
The artist developed miniature versions of her cartoonish multi-colored sculptures, such as brooches with smiling snakes, pendants in the form of plump, jubilant women named Nana, and surreal necklaces with lips, eyes, and hands.
The production of jewelry was complex: for each color, the enamel was fired at a different temperature, which could lead to cracks or deformation. Montebello created prototypes and showed them to the artist, who discussed the design details.
In 1978, the production of jewelry based on the Gem Montebello project ended. De Saint Phalle planned to continue her collaboration with Montebello in 2001, but died before the new project could begin.
Some of Niki de Saint Phalle’s jewelry:
- Assemblage necklace (gold, enamel, 1974);
- Rhino brooch (gold, enamel, 1998).
- De Saint Phalle’s works are sold at auctions, such as Bonhams and Christie’s.
