NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE (Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 1930 - San Diego, California, 2002). "L'Oiseau Amoureaux", 2000. Painted resin. Copy 58/150. Signed, justified and stamped on the back (back basket). Enclosed certificate signed by Guy Pieters, Guy Pieters Gallery. Measurements: 60 x 48 x 23 cm. "L'Oiseau Amoureux" is an emblematic sculpture by the French artist Niki de Saint Phalle. It represents an anthropomorphic bird, its body hybridized with that of a woman hugging her breast. This woman hanging like a little girl from the big bird represents a "Nana", one of the artist's most iconic and vindicative pieces. Made in resin painted with bright and vibrant colors, it aligns with the bulk of Saint Phalle's work dedicated to femininity: her famous Nanas with imposing bodies that sometimes become inhabitable architectures, her bird-women, her love of nature, etc. "L'Oiseau Amoureux" celebrates the empowerment of women, a theme the artist began to address in the 1960s. It represents the freedom of flight, joy (symbolized by the colors) and love (through the embrace that fuses both bodies and with the profusion of feminine curves that characterize the corpulent anatomies of this sculptor). The "love bird" evokes a sense of liberation and optimism. By accentuating the curves, Saint Phalle wanted to challenge stereotypes of feminine beauty. Likewise, the title "L'Oiseau Amoureux" suggests the idea of passionate and transformative love, which lifts the individual above worldly limitations. There are several versions of "L'Oiseau Amoureux" in different parts of the world, including museums, public gardens and private collections. Some of the most notable locations are: Oslo's Sculpture Park or Ekebergparken, and the Tinguely Museum in Basel. Dedicated to her husband Jean Tinguely and works they did together, the museum and its garden holds numerous sculptures by Saint Phalle, including a large "Oiseau". Niki de Saint Phalle was one of the most renowned artists of the 20th century. In 1964, she began to create a series of works entitled "Nanas", which consisted of female figures with voluptuous forms and bright colors. These sculptures show a contrast between the playful or festive dimension of the object and a much more tragic, violent and pornographic one. In the early 1960s, the artist created the Shooting Paintings. It was in 1966 that she created the largest sculpture of a woman's body in the history of art, which was also part of the "Nanas" series and whose title was "Hon" ("She" in Swedish). A Nana that ceases to be sculpture and becomes architecture. It was installed in the Moderna Musset in Stockholm, under secrecy as it was a rather revolutionary act considering the time in which he made it, so a few days after opening it to the public, they closed the exhibition. In 1979 he began to build a sculpture park, "The Tarot Garden", located near Capalbio. In 1982, together with her husband Jean Tinguely, she built the "Fontaine Stravinsky" or Fountain of the Automatons, located next to the Pompidou Center in Paris. Many of Saint Phalle's sculptures have large dimensions and are exhibited in public spaces. The Niki Charitable Art Foundation maintains an online map and catalog of all its existing public artworks. Le Paradis Fantastique (The Fantastic Paradise, 1967), Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Switzerland (in collaboration with Tinguely). Golem (1971), Kiryat Hayovel, Jerusalem. Hannover Nanas (1973), together with Leibnizufer in Hannover, Germany. La Fontaine Stravinsky (Stravinsky Fountain or Fontaine des automates, 1982) near the Pompidou Center, Paris, Sun God (1983), a fantastic winged creature next to the University of California, San Diego Faculty Club as part of the Stuart Collection of public art.