尼基·圣·帕莱与拉普瑞的蓝色之缘

Flaçon de parfum by Niki de Saint Phalle (1982) © 2021 Niki Charitable Art FoundationWhen feministGloria Steinemfirst saw French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) striding through the streets ofManhattanin the 1950s she thought, “That is the first free woman I have ever seen in real life. I want to be just like her.”Sign up to theVogue Living newsletterNiki de Saint Phalle at the Stravinsky Fountain in Paris.Renowned for her whimsical, playful sculptures depicting hearts, lips, lovers, birds and snakes—including the Stravinsky Fountain inParisand the Tarot Garden inTuscany—Saint Phalle loved the colour blue. “It’s the colour of the sky. It’s the colour of joy. It’s a spiritual colour,” she said. “I feel like the Greeks do, that it brings good luck.”Sculpture fromNiki de Saint Phalle: Structures for Life, on view at MoMA PS1. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo by Kyle KnodellSaint Phalle’s passion for blue can be seen in her art and in bottles of her eponymous (and very commercially successful) perfumes. Interestingly, her signature cobalt shade is also the colour ofLa Prairie’s iconic packaging for one of its most famous product ranges. Saint Phalle’s perfume company andLa Prairieshared studio space on Fifth Avenue in the 1980s and naturally exchanged ideas throughout the day. It was Saint Phalle who suggested cobalt blue for theSkin Caviarcollection—a suggestion that created a bond between theartistand luxury skincare company that endures to this day. “The colour is the very incarnation of femininity, of audacity, of strength,” says Greg Prodromides, Chief Marketing Officer for La Prairie. “All values incarnated by Saint Phalle and echoed by La Prairie.”Sculpture fromNiki de Saint Phalle: Structures for Life, on view at MoMA PS1. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo by Kyle KnodellSaint Phalle’s prodigious talent, avant-garde spirit and significant contribution to La Prairie is the reason the brand has sponsored the most comprehensive and meaningful retrospective of her work to date. The exhibition,Structures for Life, which recently showed at the MoMA PS1 was (astonishingly) her first solo show inNew York—a city where she spent much of her life. “Saint Phalle used her voice to advocate for women’s equality,” says Prodromides. “She provoked conversations and continues to inspire new generations of artists and women.” The exhibition featured over 200 artworks, including sculptures, drawings, jewellery and films.Installation view ofNiki de Saint Phalle: Structures for Life, on view at MoMA PS1. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo by Kyle KnodellLa Prairie has been intrinsically linked to the arts since its inception in 1931, when Dr Paul Niehans opened Clinique La Prairie health spa inSwitzerland. Artists including Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque came to stay and Niehans relished the sparkling creativity of his guests, which inspired him to pursue aesthetics in his own life and career.Installation view ofNiki de Saint Phalle: Structures for Life, on view at MoMA PS1. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo by Kyle KnodellNiehans passion for the arts continues to play a large role at La Prairie. “To preserve his legacy, we proudly support Art Basel in Miami and Hong Kong, Frieze, Fondation Beyeler, Centre Pompidou Paris and MoMA Ps1,” says Prodromides. “Each art collaboration gives us the opportunity to reveal a new story about our brand, to highlight another piece of our identity through the artist’s paradigm. We collaborate with artists—both established and emerging—who bring their perspective and nourish La Prairie.Tarot Garden by Niki de Saint Phalle, located in Garavicchio, Italy. Image credit: © Peter Granser/2021 Fondazione Il Giardino Dei TarocchiTarot Garden by Niki de Saint Phalle, located in Garavicchio, Italy. Image credit: © Peter Granser/2021 Fondazione Il Giardino Dei TarocchiWant moreVogue Living?Sign up to theVogue Livingnewsletterfor your weekly dose of design news and interiors inspiration.Subscribe to Vogue Living and you will become a member of our Vogue VIP subscriber-only loyalty program and be rewarded with exclusive event invitations, special insider access, must-have product offers, gifts from our luxury partners and so much more.Subscribe today.