Les Trois Grâces
Encyclopedia
Les Trois Grâces is a set of three public artworks by French
sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle
. The Three Graces are part of the National Museum of Women in the Arts
New York Avenue
Sculpture Project.
, one Nana is covered in white, one yellow and the other is black mosaic
tiles , ranging in heights of 12 feet to 15 feet. They all wear elaborate bathing suits in designs such as hearts, fish, instruments and other multiple colors schemes. A whimsical set of sculptures, the three figures have their arms raised as if ballet
dancing, each has one foot on the ground and another raised up. They are Saint Phalle's own version of The Three Graces
.
. The museums efforts are in part to bring "character" to an area where "there is a lot of good stuff going on," due to revitalization programs in the neighborhood. de Saint Phalle's works, four in total, are the first in a series of installations. The museums installation of de Saint Phalle's iconic pop art works are meant to be contrasting to the traditional sculpture that graces the streets and squares of Washington.
These works will remain up for one year, before being returned to the artists foundation.
, Jack Evans
, National Museum of Women in the Arts founder Wilhelmina Holladay
and de Saint Phalle's granddaughter Bloum Cardenas, along with members of the D.C. BID, District of Columbia Department of Transportation
, D.C. Office of the Planning, among others, attended the ribbon cutting.
s Jacqueline Trescott described Les Trois Grâces as a "splash of pop art
, as exaggerated as Las Vegas showgirl
s."
Blake Gopnik described the pieces as being "less weighty than what we hope to find inside our museums." Glopnik believed the pieces were nothing like the Picasso or van Gogh works that are often expected. "They are probably best enjoy at a nice downtown clip of 15 or 20 mph."
Gopnik also touches on the idea of the works being from a woman-based museum: "Wouldn't you imagine that when a women's museum makes its most public statement yet, it would avoid any hint of decor or fluff?" Describing de Saint Phalle's works as "scary and aggressive" versus what others often describe as jubilant and goofy. Overall, he describes the works as plop art
.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle
Niki de Saint Phalle
Niki de Saint Phalle, born Catherine-Marie-Agnès-Brandon Fal de Saint Phalle was a French sculptor, painter, and film maker.-The early years:...
. The Three Graces are part of the National Museum of Women in the Arts
National Museum of Women in the Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts , located in Washington, D.C. is the only museum solely dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements in the visual, performing, and literary arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay...
New York Avenue
New York Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
New York Avenue is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House in Washington, D.C. It is a major east-west route in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants and connects downtown with points east and north of the city via Cheverly, Maryland, the John Hanson Highway and the...
Sculpture Project.
Description
Keeping in the classic style of Niki de Saint Phalle's work, Les Trois Grâces are three large sculptures of voluptuous women (a creation that de Saint Phalle calls a 'Nana') who appear to be dancing. Made of fiberglassFiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, one Nana is covered in white, one yellow and the other is black mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
tiles , ranging in heights of 12 feet to 15 feet. They all wear elaborate bathing suits in designs such as hearts, fish, instruments and other multiple colors schemes. A whimsical set of sculptures, the three figures have their arms raised as if ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
dancing, each has one foot on the ground and another raised up. They are Saint Phalle's own version of The Three Graces
The Three Graces
Antonio Canova’s statue The Three Graces is a Neoclassical sculpture, in marble, of the mythological three charites, daughters of Zeus – identified on some engravings of the statue as, from left to right, Euphrosyne, Aglaea and Thalia - who were said to represent beauty, charm and joy...
.
New York Avenue Sculpture Project
Les Trois Grâces are the first of many sculptures being installed for the Project by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. By 2015 a selection of sculptures will be installed along New York Avenue from 13th Street to 9th Street, in the heart of Mount Vernon SquareMount Vernon Square
Mount Vernon Square is a city square in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is located where the following streets would otherwise intersect: Massachusetts Avenue, New York Avenue, K Street, and 8th Street NW....
. The museums efforts are in part to bring "character" to an area where "there is a lot of good stuff going on," due to revitalization programs in the neighborhood. de Saint Phalle's works, four in total, are the first in a series of installations. The museums installation of de Saint Phalle's iconic pop art works are meant to be contrasting to the traditional sculpture that graces the streets and squares of Washington.
These works will remain up for one year, before being returned to the artists foundation.
Installation
The works arrived and were installed in mid-April 2010 by way of flat-bed semi-truck. The pieces were removed from their custom crates, handled and installed by hand.Dedication
Les Trois Grâces, along with the other de Saint Phalle sculptures in the project, were dedicated at 1:30 p.m. on April 28, 2010., with an evening reception within the museum. Dr. Jill Biden, Eleanor Holmes NortonEleanor Holmes Norton
Eleanor Holmes Norton is a Delegate to Congress representing the District of Columbia. In her position she is able to serve on and vote with committees, as well as speak from the House floor...
, Jack Evans
Jack Evans (D.C. Council)
Jack Evans is a Democratic politician from Washington, D.C. He currently represents Ward 2 on the Council of the District of Columbia and serves as its chairperson pro tempore....
, National Museum of Women in the Arts founder Wilhelmina Holladay
Wilhelmina Holladay
Wilhelmina Cole Holladay is an American art collector and patron, and co-founder of the National Museum of Women in the Arts....
and de Saint Phalle's granddaughter Bloum Cardenas, along with members of the D.C. BID, District of Columbia Department of Transportation
District of Columbia Department of Transportation
The District of Columbia Department of Transportation is an agency of the government of the District of Columbia which manages and maintains publicly-owned transportation infrastructure in the District of Columbia...
, D.C. Office of the Planning, among others, attended the ribbon cutting.
Conservation
The entire selection of de Saint Phalle's works are removed during the winter for conservation purposes, only to reappear in the Spring.Trescott
The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
s Jacqueline Trescott described Les Trois Grâces as a "splash of pop art
Pop art
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of fine art...
, as exaggerated as Las Vegas showgirl
Showgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
s."
Gopnik
Fellow Post writer and art criticArt critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
Blake Gopnik described the pieces as being "less weighty than what we hope to find inside our museums." Glopnik believed the pieces were nothing like the Picasso or van Gogh works that are often expected. "They are probably best enjoy at a nice downtown clip of 15 or 20 mph."
Gopnik also touches on the idea of the works being from a woman-based museum: "Wouldn't you imagine that when a women's museum makes its most public statement yet, it would avoid any hint of decor or fluff?" Describing de Saint Phalle's works as "scary and aggressive" versus what others often describe as jubilant and goofy. Overall, he describes the works as plop art
Plop art
Plop art is a pejorative slang term for public art made for government or corporate plazas, spaces in front of office buildings, skyscraper atriums, parks, and other public venues...
.