Issued in 1990 for the exhibition Tirs… et autres révoltes 1961–1964 at Galerie de France in Paris, this original poster revisits one of the most radical and influential periods in the career of Niki de Saint Phalle. The exhibition was held from June 20 to July 28, 1990, bringing together works associated with the artist’s celebrated Tirs, or Shooting Paintings.
The poster features a powerful black-and-white photograph of Saint Phalle aiming a rifle, dressed in paint-stained working clothes. Presented without decorative surroundings, her concentrated pose dominates the composition and conveys the physical intensity of her artistic actions. Restrained red typography announces the artist and exhibition while preserving the documentary force of the image.
Beginning in 1961, Saint Phalle created assemblages containing bags or containers of liquid pigment concealed beneath layers of white plaster. She and invited participants fired rifles at these surfaces, causing the embedded colors to burst and flow across the work. These performances transformed painting into an unpredictable act of destruction and creation, challenging conventional ideas of artistic control and authorship.
Niki de Saint Phalle was a French-American painter, sculptor, filmmaker and performance artist closely associated with the Nouveaux Réalistes. Her Tirs brought her international recognition before she developed the exuberant Nanas and the monumental public sculptures for which she later became celebrated. Throughout her career, she used art to confront violence, gender roles, political authority and personal experience.
Printed in offset on coated paper, this particular example belongs to the special edition of 100 posters signed and numbered by the artist. It bears Saint Phalle’s handwritten signature and the number 97/100 in the lower-right corner. This combination of important exhibition history, compelling photographic imagery and original artist signature makes it especially desirable for collectors of Niki de Saint Phalle, Nouveau Réalisme, feminist art and twentieth-century exhibition posters.
Original Poster
Exhibition - Weapon
Gallery of France - numbered 97 in 100 and signed by the artist
Good condition
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