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Artworks
Niki de Saint Phalle France, 1930-2002
Snake Mirror, 1998Painted resin, wood and mirror glass65.4 by 90 by 12.3 cm (25¾ by 35⅜ by 4⅞ in.)66666$100,000Further images
Executed in 1998, this work is a unique variant from a series of 15. Inspired by the practice of tarot, Snake Mirror is a striking example of the personal mythology...Executed in 1998, this work is a unique variant from a series of 15. Inspired by the practice of tarot, Snake Mirror is a striking example of the personal mythology that embodies Niki de Saint Phalle’s unique creative vision. De Saint Phalle often transformed household objects to create her work, elevating them to fine art through the use of a bright color palette and a playful approach to form. In the present work, two serpents—symbols of feminine wisdom and psychic power—encircle the mirror, serving as the frame. De Saint Phalle’s lifelong exploration of tarot culminated in the ambitious sculpture garden Le Jardin des Tarots, which opened to the public in Tuscany the year Snake Mirror was executed. The decades-long collaboration with fellow artist and husband Jean Tinguely features monumental figures that represent the mysteries of the tarot, including serpents recalling those in the present work.
Provenance
Estate of the artist
Guy Pieters Gallery, Knokke-Heist
Private Collection (acquired from the above; sale: Christie's South Kensington, March 28, 2012, lot 142)
Private Collection
Exhibitions
Belfast, The Mac; Dundee, Scotland, Dundee Contemporary Arts and Bury, United Kingdom, Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Center, Shonky: The Aesthetics of Awkwardness, 2017-18, illustrated in color p. 52
