Located: Outside Climatron® (n23) - Download map
Date completed: 2000
Origin: USA
Medium: Polyurethane foam, resin, steel armature, and stained and mirrored glass
Height: 9.8 ft.
Weight: 1,700 lbs.
Collection Niki Museum, Nasu, Japan
This piece had not previously been seen in the United States. It was made by Niki as a gift to an art collector in Japan that had purchased many of her sculptures.
Additional Information
Many pieces in our exhibit are accompanied by a free audio tour and podcast. Links to the audio files are provided below, as well as a transcript of the recording.
How are Niki's pieces made? (mp3)
Phone: (314) 558-4357 - 5#
Most of Niki's sculptures are made of polyurethane foam, some with a steel structure underneath. They are covered with polyester, before the mosaic pieces are attached with silicon or epoxy. The mosaic pieces are glass, mirrors, ceramic tiles and polished stones that Niki called M&M's.
Sadly, Niki's art proved to be detrimental to her health. In the late 1960s, she began covering her sculptures with polyester paint to make them durable outdoors. The toxic fumes from the polyester resin and other plastic materials she used severely damaged her lungs, and caused recurrent health problems. Niki began making her own ceramics for the mosaics in her Tarot Garden project in Tuscany. Mosaics allowed her to create more widely varied, durable and decorative surfaces. For health reasons, she moved to La Jolla, California, near San Diego, in 1994.
She continued to create art until her death in 2002 at the age of 71.
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