Niki de Saint Phalle and the Tarot Garden

Niki de Saint Phalle and the Tarot Garden by Jill Johnston, Marella Chia Caracciolo, Giulio Pietromarchi.

The story behind
This monograph, which Niki de Saint Phalle herself planned, and for which she chose the pictures, is the first comprehensive study of the Tarot Garden. It provides a unique glimpse into her creative process. Photographs by Giulio Pietromarchi with texts by Marella Caracciolo Chia and Jill Johnston. 

Inspired by Antoni Gaudi's Parc Güell in Barcelona and the mannerist Bomarzo Park, Niki de Saint Phalle created her sculpture park in Garavicchio, in the southernmost part of Tuscany. In this vast garden, the 22 cards of the tarot’s Major Arcana are represented in the form of enormous sculptures, 12 to 15 metres high, made of painted polyester and reinforced concrete, and covered in mosaics, mirrors, multicolored ceramics and colored Murano glass.