Several of these pictures show abstract-seeming details of a monumental sculpture packed with colourful gleams and glints.
Part mirror, part glass mosaic on the inside, by moving a few inches to this side or that the viewer can make its textures, patterns and colours change like a kaleidoscope.
It has a joyful character, with octopus, star and heart motifs. Blue, red, green, silver and gold mosaic tiles and natural pebbles complete the effect.
Stepping back, we see a curvy cat in the form of a playhouse for children with arms like a hug around a flat bench-style lap. The sculpture was flanked by a ‘Do not climb’ notice which I saw several children ignoring.
It’s difficult to judge what the artist herself would have hoped for or to hit a balance between criticising the notice or the children. We don’t want art to be destroyed, but I get the feeling the artist included features by design that would at the least tempt children to play in it.
Ricardo Cat is in the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, Missouri. Its French, American, Swiss artist, Niki de Saint-Phalle, is known under a dozen different (or slightly different) names. I’ve used the one marked preferred.
Shared for Becky’s Bright Squares. By coincidence, we are thinking along the same lines.
Susan Rushton 
How interesting! I had never heard of her until a few days ago–there’s an article about her in last week’s issue The New Yorker. She was certainly one of a kind!
That’s another coincidence. 🙂
This is a real masterpiece, I like it very much.
Thanks for sharing !
Greetz,
Rudi
My pleasure.
How good to see this! I too was just reading about her and with fond memories. When I lived in CA, I was not far from Escondido, where there is a sculpture park designed by her. It is a wonder! I was in awe of it, and my very small (at that time) grandchildren loved it too. Last time I visited it I was profoundly disheartened to see that mosaic pieces were missing. That hurt! What a monument to imagination it was and I hope still is!
That would be fun to visit. The missing mosaic pieces you mention are a no doubt a clue to the sign.
I’d never heard of her until your post but she certainly is an interesting artist even if I’m not sure yet how I feel about it. I can’t fault the colours though. As I said, interesting.
I often like some parts of an artist’s work more than others.
It’s an interesting sculpture and looks as though it is designed for children to climb or snuggle up on the bench with a cushion or two and a book. It has reminded me of a Buddha in the YSP – now I need to see who did that one.
And what do you know! She did!
I was just wondering if it was the same artist as the Buddha 😀
Very distinctive.
I have a pictures of that too 🙂
She has quite a recognisable style with the curves, materials and colours. Which I now see is pretty much what you just said to Becky 🙂
I’m a huge fan of Niki’s work! Definitely unique and ahead of her time!
She seems to have been overshadowed by her contemporaries like many female artists.
oh this is such fun, love to have a work like this in my garden
I can see that garden of yours getting pretty full up if all your wishes instantly materialised.
hee hee, that’s a very good point!! Thank goodness they are unlikely to be fulfilled
Not all at once, anyway.
Love your close ups of the sculpture, Susan 🙂 🙂 An interesting whole.
I could imagine some Gaudà influence, couldn’t you?
Definitely 🙂 🙂
Love that sculpture.
Reminds me of a vase I have made up of mosaic and mirror chips. It reflects (in patches) the flower colour (in the vase) or wood colour on which the vase sits.
And varies during the day, I imagine.
Cheerful stuff! I love the detail – less sure about the whole, but it’s certainly bright in these un-bright times.
It’s hard to get a good angle on the whole, or at least I found it so.