Niki de Saint Phalle was one of the most iconic and disarmingly free artists of the 20th century—a creator who transformed anger, pain, and rage into explosions of color, into a continuous celebration of life, imagination, and rebirth. She fearlessly crossed the boundaries of artistic expression, a combative woman who found redemption through art and delivered some of the boldest artistic gestures of her time. Through her work—dark and joyful, complex, contradictory, playful, free, creative, seemingly “innocent” yet simultaneously “dangerous”—she challenged institutions and patriarchy alike. From the shooting paintings (Tirs) to the vibrant Nanas, and through paintings, collages, books, and sculptures, the world of Niki de Saint Phalle unfolds in the exhibition like a child’s game, with all the immediacy and enthusiasm that art allows to find paths of expression.
Starting from the emblematic works in the collection of MOMus–Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki—held there thanks to the donation of the visionary collector and art dealer Alexander Iolas and the artist herself—the exhibition seeks to reframe her artistic universe and highlight its parallel facets. The two shared a relationship of trust, artistic faith, and a common pursuit of freedom. With Iolas’s support, Saint Phalle’s work gained international recognition and became established as one of the most recognizable bodies of work of the 20th century.
Niki de Saint Phalle’s work remains strikingly relevant in light of today’s social struggles, in an era that once again denounces abuse and reclaims freedom and equality for women (and beyond), with strong global interest in her oeuvre.
The first exhibition in Greece dedicated to Niki de Saint Phalle (Niki de Saint Phalle / Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1930 – California, 2002), titled “From Shooting Paintings to Freedom,” is presented at MOMus – Alex Mylona Museum, in Thissio, Athens, from December 12, 2025, to May 24, 2026.
Curated by: Thouli Misirloglou
