"Niki in the Garden" Art Exhibit Extraordinaire in Chicago

A guarantee: "Niki In the Garden" is one of the most spectacular art exhibits you'll ever experience. As if they've sprouted from the earth to entertain Garfield Park's tall trees and lush flora, the whimsical sculptures starring in "Niki In the Garden" come in familiar but dramatically exaggerated shapes. There are gargantuan totems, sports figures, and skulls. There are voluptuous Nanas, a French term meaning "babes" or "chicks." There are the Black Heroes, a dazzling series of sculptures honoring music legends Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and others.

All told, "Niki In the Garden" tickles the spirits of the young and young-at-heart. Brought to the city by the Chicago Park District, the exhibit is part of the "Art of Play" event series. Making a summer wonderland of the Gem of the Westside, the de Saint Phalle exhibit is as breathtaking -- if not more so -- than the Conservatory's 2002 glass art showcase, Chihuly. Both exhibits make for phenomenal eye-candy; however, "Niki In the Garden" also is highly interactive.

Much of de Saint Phalle's art invites you to walk through it, sit on it, or just reach out and touch it -- which is why kids particularly love playing with Niki's art. Each fiberglass structure is decorated with a dazzling melange of materials. Making the works so colorful are the gazillion beads, baubles, semiprecious stones and cut mirror, all applied mosaic-style.

And imagine this: the tallest sculpture reaches 18 feet toward the sky; the longest piece is 25 feet wide. All told, it's as if a magical, Technicolor version of Stonehenge has been erected on Chicago's near Westside!

About the Artist
A French-American painter and sculptor, Niki de Saint Phalle was inspired by the famous Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi, whose work she fell in love with while living briefly in Spain. After moving back to France, she joined the New Realist Movement, a 1960s and '70s art collective whose approach in Paris is likened to that of Pop Art in America.

A charismatic but rebellious woman, Niki de Saint Phalle also was a fashion model who once graced magazine covers including Life, Vogue and Elle. In 1982, de Saint Phalle launched a fragrance collection bearing her name. Her scrumptious perfume is described as a "mossy, fresh scent possessing notes of tangy citrus and green forest hints." It's very much like her organic art; its intriguing packaging resembles her glossy, frenetic sculptures.

Niki de Saint Phalle died in San Diego in 2002, at the age of 72. International installations of her phenomenal sculptures also can be seen in Paris, Germany, Israel and San Diego -- all of which are permanently on display. The Chicago de Saint Phalle exhibit, unfortunately, is temporary.

Exhibit Schedule
"Niki In the Garden" comes to a close in Garfield Park on October 31, 2007. The exhibit is open daily, from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. It's free for children, and a $5.00 donation is suggested for adults.

How to Get There
Garfield Park Conservatory is located at 300 North Central Park Avenue. Ample parking usually is available, or conserve gas by taking CTA's Green Line or #55 bus to the Central Park station stop. Garfleid Park Conservatory is but a walk quarter-block's walk away.