Between 1979 and 1993, Niki de Saint Phalle immersed herself in the creation of her most ambitious project: The Tarot Garden in Tuscany, conceived, in the artist’s own words, as a “garden of joy,” and blending the natural environment with architecture and monumental sculpture. Built with the initial participation of her husband, Jean Tinguely, the sculpture park represents the culmination of their reflections on art as a reappropriation of public space. References to Gaudí—whose Parc Güell in Barcelona left a lasting impression on the artist—and to Facteur Cheval’s Plais Ideal are abundant.

The project is structured around the magical game of tarot and includes the twenty-two major arcana, including Strength: a Nana, Niki de Saint Phalle’s iconic female figure, dominating the brutal force of a dragon in a subversion of fairy tales. These cards are rendered in the artist’s exuberant and colorful style. The project is funded entirely by the sale of the artist’s other works, including her prints, lithographs, and even small-scale models of the sculptures in the Garden.