Niki De Saint Phalle Value: Top Prices Paid at Auction

The artist's current auction record was achieved at Lempertz, Cologne, in December 2008 for three Nana “brunnenfigur” (fountain figures) (2000), characteristic examples of her celebrated Nana series. Each Nana has an integrated fountain system and fine water jet nozzles attached to its outer silhouette, and therefore function as water fountains. They were created as part of Saint Phalle’s Les Trois Graces series of work, in an edition of only three copies. At the auction in 2008, the sculptures were originally scheduled to sell individually, but were ultimately sold as a bundle. Made of polyester, ceramic, and Murano glass, these works exemplify Saint Phalle's distinctive approach to representing the female form - joyful, voluptuous, and liberated from conventional beauty standards.

This commanding polyester sculpture from 1968 achieved its near-record result at Artcurial, Paris, in December 2015. Standing as one of Saint Phalle's most significant black Nana figures, the work captures the artist's commitment to representing diversity in her celebration of feminine power. Saint Phalle believed that black women were doubly victimised - as both women and black. The sculpture's dynamic pose, with arms and leg raised in a dance-like gesture, stands in opposition with this, embodying a sense of freedom and joy. Its strong performance at auction not only reflected its prestigious exhibition history at the Guggenheim, Bilbao, but also the growing market appreciation for works that address themes of racial and gender representation in art history.

Achieving this notable result at Sotheby’s New York in November 2006, Ana Lena En Grèce (1965-67) stands as a unique example from Saint Phalle's celebrated Nana series. At an impressive height of 270 cm, this painted polyester sculpture presents a more contemplative, static figure compared to her typically exuberant Nanas, while still embodying the artist's celebration of feminine power. The work's title remains enigmatic, as Saint Phalle never revealed its meaning before her death in 2002. Exceeding its high estimate by more than £150,000, the sale demonstrated strong collector appreciation for exceptional examples from the pivotal period when Saint Phalle was fully developing her iconic style.

Selling at Christie’s Paris in October 2020, La Femme At L'Oiseau Fontaine (1967-88) demonstrates Saint Phalle's enduring fascination with the relationship between sculpture and water and how both can enhance public spaces. It belongs to the same series of work as her famous sculpture Fontaine Igor Stravinsky (1983). The work combines two of her most significant motifs - the female form and birds - in a dynamic, open-armed composition over three metres tall. When the sculpture was exhibited at Salon 94 gallery in 2024, visitors were seen flipping coins into the pool, making the artwork interactive.

L'Abre-Serpents (1992) achieved this impressive result at Artcurial Paris in October 2024, marking a renewed interest in Saint Phalle's later works. The sculpture, which translates as "The Snake Tree," showcases her mature style's synthesis of natural and mythological elements. It forms part of her series of momentous totem poles, which drew their inspiration from her earlier L'Arbre De Vie (1985). The piece exemplifies Saint Phalle’s ability to tell poignant stories through art. The work not only uses snakes to symbolise sin, but also Saint Phalle’s own childhood fear of snakes - the reptile came to represent humanity's ability to overcome trauma in Saint Phalle’s work.

Selling at Christie’s Paris in May 2009, Le Banc (1989) exceeded its high estimate by almost 800% - a groundbreaking result that proves the popularity of Saint Phalle’s entire portfolio of work, not just her Nanas. This painted polyester bench combines practical design with her characteristic playful, Modernist aesthetic. The blue and white dog can be removed from the bench and set on the floor, making the bench technically functional. The figure seated on the bench is reading a newspaper, which was painted with Greek text by Marina Karella. One of the Le Banc benches (from the edition of only three) resides in the Japanese town of Naoshima, where, as was Saint Phalle’s wish for her art, it has become part of residents’ daily lives.

Achieving this strong result at Millon-Cornette De Saint Cyr Paris in October 2009, Peril Jaune (1968) is widely recognised as one of Saint Phalle's most politically charged works from a pivotal year in her career. The sculpture, whose title translates as "Yellow Peril," is believed to directly confront and satirise racial stereotypes and prejudices towards the Asian community. Created during a period of global social upheaval, including the ongoing Vietnam War and civil rights movements, the work demonstrates the power and versatility of Saint Phalle’s Nanas, as well as her desire to engage with contemporary political discourse. Despite its poignant subject matter, the sculpture retains all of the fun and frivolity of Saint Phalle’s other works.

La Machine À Rêver (1970), which translates as "The Dream Machine," sold at Sotheby's Paris in May 2008. Its form and composition are notably more complex than the other Saint Phalle’s works on this list - still with an identifiable central character, but with greater surreal elements that reflect the work’s theme, including some moving parts. It features, as the title suggests, the multi-faceted hopes, dreams, and ambitions of women within society. The sculpture demonstrates Saint Phalle's exploration of mechanical and organic forms during the early 1970s and her growing interest in creating interactive art. The sculpture sold two years earlier, in 2007, for £320,000.

Selling at Christie's Paris in June 2024, La Femme Brune (1963-64) is one of Saint Phalle's earliest explorations of female representation in sculptural form. The work, which translates as "The Brown Woman" but is also known as “The White Goddess,” was created during her transition from shooting paintings to sculptural forms - as such, its textured surface, almost bursting out of the panel it sits on, seems to combine both of these creative styles. Her early aggressive style takes precedence but with emerging hints of the more celebratory Nanas. At the time, Saint Phalle was exploring the traditional roles of women in postwar Western society; the work is part of her Bride series, featuring sculptures of skeletal, Miss Havisham-esque women. Its strong performance at auction demonstrates continued collector interest in works from the artist’s crucial developmental period, as well as works that are unique within Saint Phalle’s portfolio.

This late-career work from c.1993 achieved its impressive result at Sotheby’s New York in November 2016. It was, in 2008, sold as part of the trio of fountain figures that set the record for highest-value Saint Phalle auction sale. Nana Mosaïque Blanche is a captivating example of Saint Phalle’s mosaic work at full maturity. The degree of mosaic detailing is just one of the ways this fountain sculpture differs from Saint Phalle’s earlier Nanas - the colour scheme, for example, is much more muted, and the female figure is much smoother, with more deliberate curves and a smaller waist that is more reflective of common beauty standards. As such, this piece demonstrates her continued innovation within the Nana series, even after decades of working with the form.