Saint Phalle’s artistic practice really showed how art can be a channel for respite and catharsis from personal trauma and societal issues too.

Absolutely. And that is why she’s so well understood today by the younger generation. It resonates so personally. It’s wonderful for me, being between these two generations, to see that the younger ones truly get it.

And how do you see different generations interacting with their work?

People are talking much more today. Niki came from a very oppressed time and experienced some deep traumas, but her work can really impact women across generations. In Bilbao, I saw these old ladies looking at Niki’s “Devouring Mothers,” which is very dark and surreal. These are women who lived through the years of Franco. You could see some were quite upset.

We had an exhibition in Paris 10 years ago with Camille Morineau, who created AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research, and Exhibitions. She has a very feminist approach. Seeing her skill in recontextualizing Niki’s work for a younger, radical generation was fantastic. Niki’s work offers new ways to free yourself, even today.

You grew up so immersed in Saint Phalle’s work. How has your relationship to her art evolved?

When she passed away, I felt like I had a couple of wars to win. She was perceived as a commercial artist because she had done things like perfume. People never understood it, but I knew that she was doing it so she could be her own sponsor: She could do the Tarot Garden and not owe anything to anyone. Today, you look at famous people and they have 15 perfumes under their names and brand sponsorships everywhere! Good for them, all the power, we love Rihanna! It’s very different for the younger generation because they get that need for autonomy. But when Niki passed away, you could see that hesitancy in the art market. Niki was brave enough to want to be completely independent, and that has always inspired me. Correcting that history was vital for me.

For Niki, too, public art was very important at a time when there was a lot of exclusivity. I’ve been happy to see the evolution in the art world turn her way. Niki now is seen as a hero, and I’m so proud of that. It’s been my mission. It’s a privilege to love someone and see people loving her. It is wonderful to see artists live on through their work and create new paths still.