Dome

Detail, showing painted area (polyurethane paint) over bronze with gold glove; Air became part of Niki's artistic palette with her see-through "Skinnies," made of bronze and polyurethane paint. Niki saw New Man is Coming and Femme Bleue as "air sculptures" that breathe and invite you to look right through them. She linked their breathing and skeletal look with the experiences of her own ailing body. "When my lungs were severely damaged by working in polyester, air came into my life. I had to learn how to breathe again, breathe deeply. The Skinnies reflect that change." The Femme Bleue was created in at least 2 editions, both bronze colored and blue. The "luminaire" aludes to the crown of electric light bulbs around the heads of the figures. The San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and the Port’s Public Art Committee has a program to both purchase and exhibit public art; this was part of that program. Source: Niki Charitable Art Foundation; http://nikidesaintphalle.org/ (accessed 7/12/2012)