Ten pivotal years in the life of Niki de Saint Phalle, who died in 2002, are recounted in the biopic Nikibroadcast in cinemas since Wednesday October 9. Has the family of the protean artist given the green light?
Céline Sallette’s first feature film, soberly titled Nikitackles the formidable challenge of the artistic biopic by focusing on the figure of Niki de Saint Phalle, a major Franco-American artist of the 20th century. To achieve it, the actress Returned and of Vernon Subutex was faced with a major obstacle, the rights to use the artist’s works having been refused. The family of the deceased did not give their blessing to this project either. “I contacted her granddaughter (Bloum Cardenas, her granddaughter and heir to her moral rights, editor’s note) and I understand that she did not want us to make the film. It’s complicated to see your grandmother represented like this. Not having the rights didn’t stop us. Niki is a public person, there is no law against making a film about her. She spoke openly about her problems.”told the budding filmmaker to the magazine Elle.
Céline Sallette, however, found a way to nourish her narrative differently, showing the painter in full catharsis, rather than focusing solely on her creations, as she explained to AlloCiné : “What interested me was seeing Niki transform and the point of view of the work seemed entirely appropriate to me..” Throughout the film, Niki de Saint Phalle’s creations remain off-camera, freeing her art from superficial representation and emphasizing the way in which art fits into her own life: far from conventional expectations.
Charlotte Le Bon, one of his monumental Nanas
The film begins with a scene where the heroine, then a model, is represented as an object of desire, which serves as a springboard to reverse this dynamic and show her artistic emancipation. Far from a conformist existence, Niki lives a bohemian life, while being a mother and suffering from mental crises. It was in a clinic, where she was treated for a nervous breakdown, that she discovered her true vocation as an artist, before being reinforced in her new passion by her meeting with other influential figures of the New Realists movement.
Charlotte Le Bon’s performance in the title role is praised for her ability to embody a complex and emancipated woman in a male-dominated environment, both attractive and clumsy.