Niki de Saint Phalle’s Shooting Paintings: A Proustian Reflection

In the tumultuous years of the 20th century, as art constantly sought to redefine its boundaries, Niki de Saint Phalle emerged with an audacious and revolutionary vision. Her works, marked by uncompromising creative freedom, defied conventions and expectations. Among her most iconoclastic creations, the “Shooting Paintings” stand out as a series of radical artistic acts, both gestures of liberation and sharp critiques of society.

Niki de Saint Phalle’s “Shooting Paintings” began in 1961. These performances involved shooting a rifle at assemblages of paint-filled pouches hidden beneath layers of plaster, creating unpredictable and powerful explosions of color. Each shot was an act of creative destruction, transforming the work into a living and evolving painting. This method of painting by shooting blurred the line between destruction and creation, between the artist and the artwork.

An emblematic anecdote from this period takes us to one of her early public performances. At an exhibition at Galerie J in Paris in February 1961, Niki invited the public to participate in the creative act by shooting at her works themselves. Among the guests, renowned artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns joined in, turning the performance into a collective and festive event. The sound of rifles, the bursts of color, and the laughter resonated in the gallery, creating an electric atmosphere where everyone became a part of the artwork.

The “Shooting Paintings” were not just spectacular performances but also deep reflections on the role of the artist and the creative act. For Niki de Saint Phalle, shooting at the canvas was a way to free herself from her inner demons, to channel her anger and pain into a cathartic gesture. These performances also expressed a critique of traditional artistic institutions and established norms of beauty. By literally exploding the frames and conventions, Niki redefined art as an act of rebellion and transformation.

In another memorable performance at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1966, Niki de Saint Phalle erected an entire wall of targets to be destroyed. This installation, spectacular in its scale, attracted a large and fascinated crowd. Spectators, armed with rifles, participated in the creative destruction of the work, each contributing to the explosion of colors and forms. This wall of “Shooting Paintings” became a powerful symbol of the collaboration between the artist and the public, of the liberating energy of art.

Niki de Saint Phalle continued this series of “Shooting Paintings” until the mid-1960s before turning to other forms of artistic expression, such as her famous “Nanas” and monumental sculptures. However, the impact of the “Shooting Paintings” remains indelible, embodying a time of upheaval and questioning, where art was both provocation and liberation.

Niki de Saint Phalle’s “Shooting Paintings,” with their audacity and evocative power, continue to fascinate and inspire, reminding us that art, in its purest essence, is an act of life, resistance, and transformation.