Nana on a Dolphin
Encyclopedia
Nana on a Dolphin is a public artwork by French
sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle
. Nana on a Dolphin is part of the National Museum of Women in the Arts
New York Avenue
Sculpture Project and has also been on display at the home of Nicole Salinger in Provence, France.
. The dolphin is covered in bright colored mosaic tiles with a slight grin to its lip line. Just in front of the dolphins top fin stands Nana, standing with her proper right foot kicked behind her, to balance with one foot. Her faceless head and body is orange and she wears a silver bathing suit with de Saint Phalle's signature heart on the proper left breast and black tile on the proper right. In her proper right hand she holds a red ball and her proper left hand is thrown behind her back. The statue stands on a steel pole which is then bolted into a concrete block.
. The museums efforts are in part to bring "character" to an area where "there is a lot of good stuff going on," due to revitalization programs in the neighborhood. de Saint Phalle's works, four in total, are the first in a series of installations. The museums installation of de Saint Phalle's iconic pop art works are meant to be contrasting to the traditional sculpture that graces the streets and squares of Washington.
These works will remain up for one year, before being returned to the artists foundation.
, Jack Evans
, National Museum of Women in the Arts founder Wilhelmina Holladay
and de Saint Phalle's granddaughter Bloum Cardenas, along with members of the D.C. BID, District of Columbia Department of Transportation
, D.C. Office of the Planning, among others, attended the ribbon cutting.
Blake Gopnik stated that the pieces are "less weighty than what we hope to find inside our museums." Glopnik believed the pieces were nothing like the Picasso or van Gogh works that are often expected. "They are probably best enjoyed at a nice downtown clip of 15 or 20 mph."
Gopnik also touches on the idea of the works being from a woman-based museum: "Wouldn't you imagine that when a women's museum makes its most public statement yet, it would avoid any hint of decor or fluff?" Describing de Saint Phalle's works as "scary and aggressive" versus what others often describe as jubilant and goofy. Overall, he describes the works as plop art
.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle
Niki de Saint Phalle
Niki de Saint Phalle, born Catherine-Marie-Agnès-Brandon Fal de Saint Phalle was a French sculptor, painter, and film maker.-The early years:...
. Nana on a Dolphin is part of the National Museum of Women in the Arts
National Museum of Women in the Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts , located in Washington, D.C. is the only museum solely dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements in the visual, performing, and literary arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay...
New York Avenue
New York Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
New York Avenue is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House in Washington, D.C. It is a major east-west route in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants and connects downtown with points east and north of the city via Cheverly, Maryland, the John Hanson Highway and the...
Sculpture Project and has also been on display at the home of Nicole Salinger in Provence, France.
Description
In the style of de Saint Phalle's work, Nana on a Dolphin depicts one of her signature Nana's standing on the back of a brilliantly colored dolphinDolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
. The dolphin is covered in bright colored mosaic tiles with a slight grin to its lip line. Just in front of the dolphins top fin stands Nana, standing with her proper right foot kicked behind her, to balance with one foot. Her faceless head and body is orange and she wears a silver bathing suit with de Saint Phalle's signature heart on the proper left breast and black tile on the proper right. In her proper right hand she holds a red ball and her proper left hand is thrown behind her back. The statue stands on a steel pole which is then bolted into a concrete block.
New York Avenue Sculpture Project
Nana on a Dolphin are is one of the many sculptures being installed for the Project by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. By 2015 a selection of sculptures will be installed along New York Avenue from 13th Street to 9th Street, in the heart of Mount Vernon SquareMount Vernon Square
Mount Vernon Square is a city square in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is located where the following streets would otherwise intersect: Massachusetts Avenue, New York Avenue, K Street, and 8th Street NW....
. The museums efforts are in part to bring "character" to an area where "there is a lot of good stuff going on," due to revitalization programs in the neighborhood. de Saint Phalle's works, four in total, are the first in a series of installations. The museums installation of de Saint Phalle's iconic pop art works are meant to be contrasting to the traditional sculpture that graces the streets and squares of Washington.
These works will remain up for one year, before being returned to the artists foundation.
Installation
The artwork was installed mid-April 2010, being delivered to its placement location by way of a flat-bed semi-truck in crates. Each piece was removed and placed by way of a crane.Dedication
Nana on a Dolphin, along with the other de Saint Phalle sculptures in the project, were dedicated at 1:30 p.m. on April 28, 2010., with an evening reception within the museum. Dr. Jill Biden, Eleanor Holmes NortonEleanor Holmes Norton
Eleanor Holmes Norton is a Delegate to Congress representing the District of Columbia. In her position she is able to serve on and vote with committees, as well as speak from the House floor...
, Jack Evans
Jack Evans (D.C. Council)
Jack Evans is a Democratic politician from Washington, D.C. He currently represents Ward 2 on the Council of the District of Columbia and serves as its chairperson pro tempore....
, National Museum of Women in the Arts founder Wilhelmina Holladay
Wilhelmina Holladay
Wilhelmina Cole Holladay is an American art collector and patron, and co-founder of the National Museum of Women in the Arts....
and de Saint Phalle's granddaughter Bloum Cardenas, along with members of the D.C. BID, District of Columbia Department of Transportation
District of Columbia Department of Transportation
The District of Columbia Department of Transportation is an agency of the government of the District of Columbia which manages and maintains publicly-owned transportation infrastructure in the District of Columbia...
, D.C. Office of the Planning, among others, attended the ribbon cutting.
Conservation
The entire selection of de Saint Phalle's works are removed during the winter for conservation purposes, only to reappear in the Spring.Gopnik
Washington Post art criticArt critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
Blake Gopnik stated that the pieces are "less weighty than what we hope to find inside our museums." Glopnik believed the pieces were nothing like the Picasso or van Gogh works that are often expected. "They are probably best enjoyed at a nice downtown clip of 15 or 20 mph."
Gopnik also touches on the idea of the works being from a woman-based museum: "Wouldn't you imagine that when a women's museum makes its most public statement yet, it would avoid any hint of decor or fluff?" Describing de Saint Phalle's works as "scary and aggressive" versus what others often describe as jubilant and goofy. Overall, he describes the works as plop art
Plop art
Plop art is a pejorative slang term for public art made for government or corporate plazas, spaces in front of office buildings, skyscraper atriums, parks, and other public venues...
.