The first exhibition in Greece dedicated to Niki de Saint Phalle (Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1930 – California, 2002) entitled “From Shooting to Freedom” is being presented at the MOMus-Alex Mylonas Museum in Thissio, Athens, from December 12, 2025, to May 24, 2026.

Niki de Saint Phalle was one of the most iconic and disarmingly free artists of the 20th century—a creator who transformed anger, pain, and rage into explosions of color, into an ongoing celebration of life, imagination, and rebirth. She fearlessly crossed the boundaries of artistic expression, a combative woman who found redemption in art and made some of the most daring artistic gestures.

With her work, dark and cheerful, complex, contradictory, playful, free, creative, seemingly ‘innocent’ and at the same time ‘dangerous’, she challenged institutions and patriarchy. From her Tirs shooting installations to her colorful Nanas, and through her paintings, collages, books, and sculptures, the world of Niki de Saint Phalle unfolds in the exhibition like a child’s game, with all the immediacy and enthusiasm that art allows to find ways of expression.

Starting with her iconic works belonging to the collection of MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, thanks to the donation of visionary collector and art dealer Alexander Iolas and herself, the exhibition attempts to reframe her artistic universe and highlight its parallel aspects. The two were connected by a relationship of trust, artistic faith, and a shared quest for freedom, and with Iola’s support, Saint Phalle’s work became known to an international audience and established itself as one of the most recognizable of the 20th century.

Niki de Saint Phalle’s work remains relevant in the face of current social demands, at a time when abuse is once again being condemned and freedom and equality for women (and others) are being reclaimed, with strong global interest in her work.

The exhibition is accompanied by guided tours for the public, activities, and programs for all educational levels.

Curator: Thouli Misirloglou, Artistic Director, MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art