Niki and Mingei | Mingei International Museum

IMPORTANT UPDATE! Our galleries are partially closed while we install our next fall show -- Inside the Design Center! In the meantime, enjoy discounted admission prices. Visit us to see Layered Narratives and Fashioning an Icon (closes on Sept 7th).

Niki de Saint Phalle, "Vase - Upside Down Lady", 1999, La Jolla, California, Polyester resin, Gift of the Artist, 2001-29-003A-B.
Image: Niki de Saint Phalle, "Vase - Upside Down Lady", 1999, La Jolla, California, Polyester resin, Gift of the Artist, 2001-29-003A-B.
On View

Apr 8 - Oct 2, 2022

Curated By

Barbara Hanson Forsyth

The exhibition Niki & Mingei will feature fantastic furniture and furnishings by French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle.

The exhibition Niki & Mingei will feature fantastic furniture and furnishings by French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle.

Multimedia artist Niki de Saint Phalle is a long-beloved icon at Mingei. Saint Phalle's connection to the Museum goes back to her later years spent in La Jolla, where she befriended Mingei’s founder, Martha Longenecker. Her artwork, in one form or another, has consistently been on view at Mingei ever since. Drawn from Mingei's permanent collection and select loans, the objects in this exhibition offer a playful and colorful contrast to purely functional living. Whether it’s a vase sporting colorful acrobatic legs or a wooden chair with gem-studded snakes, this exhibition speaks to an important yet under-recognized part of Saint Phalle's prodigious career in San Diego.