| Abre Serpents | |
|---|---|
| English: Serpent Tree | |
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| Artist | Niki de Saint Phalle |
| Year | 1999 |
| Type | fiberglass, mosaic |
| Location | National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., US |
| 38°54′02″N77°01′43″W / 38.900544°N 77.028628°W | |
| Owner | Niki Charitable Art Foundation |
Arbre Serpents (English: Serpent Tree) is a large, colorful outdoor sculpture by French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle. [1]
Created in 1988, [2] [3] the sculpture consists of brightly colored serpents intertwined around a central trunk-like form. It was created from stained glass and mirrors. [4]
Created in 1999, it showed at the Missouri Botanical Garden. [5] It is part of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, New York Avenue Sculpture Project. [6]
In 1987, Niki de Saint Phalle created a mosaic fountain version of the work, titled Arbre de Vie – Fontaine (Tree of Life, Fountain of Serpents). [7] The piece was later displayed at the Grand Palais in Paris during an exhibition that opened on Thursday, February 26, 2015. [8]
Following its presentation in Paris, the exhibition traveled to the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, where it was shown from February 27 to June 11, 2015. [9] Other examples of Saint Phalle’s public artworks can be found throughout Paris. Such as, Arbre de Vie – Fontaine and the artist’s earlier collaboration on the Stravinsky Fountain near the Centre Pompidou.
In May 2015, the sculpture was installed outdoors at Waterfront Park. [10] In a public exhibition in downtown San Diego, on loan from the Niki Charitable Art Foundation for a period of up to twelve years. At this location, three other Saint Phalle sculptures can also be found: Large Seal (Element of Seals), #19 Baseball Player , and Cat, which is also a play structure. [11]
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