Niki de St. Phalle

“It's my destiny to make a place where people can come and be happy: a garden of joy.”

“Father's ideals became part of me and still are today. His reserve, deeply rooted liberal views, his provocative humour, his passion for work and love of risk are also mine.”

“Since the age of 11, I have loved writing poems and fragments from my life.”

“I wanted to make some of the really important things of my generation and some of the biggest.”

“AIDS is a complex situation that's sure to bring out the best and the worst in people.”

“I could do whatever I wanted, whether people liked it or not.”

“Painting calmed the chaos that shook my soul.”

“I resemble the father I once hated.”

“Most people don't see the edginess in my work. They think it's all fantasy and whimsy.”

“The world has been experiencing a whole pattern of auto-destruction, whether in environmental disasters like Chernobyl or health disasters like AIDS.”

“With long skirts, you can really buff. People open doors for you and everything.”