{"id":72750,"date":"2026-04-09T15:11:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accartbooks.com\/us\/book\/the-tarot-garden-the-magnum-opus-of-niki-de-saint-phalle\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T16:56:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:56:52","slug":"the-tarot-garden-the-magnum-opus-of-niki-de-saint-phalle","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.accartbooks.com\/us\/book\/the-tarot-garden-the-magnum-opus-of-niki-de-saint-phalle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tarot Garden, the Magnum Opus of Niki de Saint Phalle"},"content":{"rendered":"

“So far, there haven’t been many women who have dared to dream on a truly megalomaniac scale—and see those dreams through to completion.” <\/em>— Niki de Saint Phalle.
\nThe story of the Tarot Garden, created by Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002), unfolds like a fairy tale. For the first time, this book documents the extraordinary adventure of its construction, from 1978 to 1998. It all began when, at the age of twenty-five, Niki de Saint Phalle visited Gaudí’s Park Güell and decided to give form to her lifelong “desire for grandeur.” The result was the creation of twenty-one monumental and esoteric sculptures spread across two hectares in Tuscany’s Maremma region—an artistic interpretation of the Tarot’s major arcana, a system that had long captivated her imagination. The Tarot Garden stands within a visionary lineage of fantastical environments, alongside the Palais Idéal of Ferdinand Cheval, Gaudí’s Park Güell, Alain Bourbonnais’s Fabuloserie, and the Gardens of Bomarzo in Lazio. Enriched with rare archival material, this book reveals the behind-the-scenes story of Niki de Saint Phalle’s magnum opus, shaped by Etruscan heritage, local craftsmanship, and rituals drawn from cultures around the world. <\/p>\n

“Seeing the garden Gaudí built in Barcelona changed my life. From that moment on, my path would be a slow apprenticeship—until the day I, too, would be capable of creating a magnificent work like his, a place of joy.”<\/em> — Niki de Saint Phalle.<\/p>\n

Text in English, Italian and French.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An unprecedented look into the making of Niki de Saint Phalle’s monumental masterpiece, the Tarot Garden. Text in English, Italian and French.
Foreword – “Le fiabe sono vere” (“Fairy tales are true”)
\n1. The Tarot Garden, or How the Princess Defeated the Demons: An Initiatory Journey
\n2. A Nana in Power: Niki de Saint Phalle Before the Tarot Garden (1958–1979)
\nChapter 1 : The Genesis of the Idea: From Childhood to 1979
\n– Make Believe: The Enchantment of North American Fiction, from Disneyland to Hollywood (8,400 characters)
\n– The Birth of an Idea: The Visit to Park Güell in Barcelona in 1955 and Visionary Architectures
\n– The Echo of the Middle Ages: The Tarot Garden as a Modern Cathedral for All Religions
\n– A Thematic Garden: Influences from Other Gardens Around the World
\n– An Esoteric Garden: The Tarot
\n– A Feminist Garden: Monumental Ambition
\nChapter 2 : “I Wanted a Larger Kingdom”: The First Phase of the Construction of the Tarot Garden (1980–1985)
\n– The Maremma and the Love for Italy
\n– 1980–1984: The First Group of Major Arcana Sculptures in Cement — Stages of Construction
\n– “The Family” Expands: Works by Artist Friends
\n– Materials and Techniques: Mosaic as a Reconstruction of the Self
\n– Restoration and Conservation of the Sculptures: Monumentality Tested by Time
\n– The Spirit of an Entrepreneur: Self-Financing the Garden and the Anti-Hierarchy of the Arts
\nChapter 3 (20,000 characters) : The Rebirth of the Phoenix: The Second Phase of Construction (1985–1994)
\n– Resin Works
\n– Niki de Saint Phalle as Site Director: Responding to the Practical Needs of the Garden
\n– Obstacles Along the Way: Public Suspicion and Curiosity, Issues with Italian Law, and the Disbelief That a Woman Alone – Could Achieve Such a Large-Scale Project
\n– Trials: Illness, the Death of Jean Tinguely, Obsessions, Isolation
\n– Social Commitments
\n– The Move to San Diego in 1994 and the Establishment of Remote Work
\nChapter 4 (20,000 characters) : Working for Eternity (1995–2002)
\n– Collaborations with Mario Botta
\n– The Tarot Garden Foundation (1987): Status, Missions, and the Opening of the Garden to the Public (1988): Reception and Public Response
\n– Protecting the Garden: Anticipating Challenges and Solutions Implemented During Her Lifetime (Merchandising)
\n– Unfinished Ideas
\n– Death of the Artist
\n– Future Challenges (Intro Bloum\/Foundation)
\nBibliography and Captions
\nAppendix: Letters, texts, sketches, unpublished photographs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[5523],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-72750","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","5":"product_cat-art","6":"author-by-author-lucia-pesapane","7":"publisher-albin-michel","9":"first","10":"instock","11":"shipping-taxable","12":"purchasable","13":"product-type-simple"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Tarot Garden, the Magnum Opus of Niki de Saint Phalle - ACC Art Books US<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.accartbooks.com\/us\/book\/the-tarot-garden-the-magnum-opus-of-niki-de-saint-phalle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Tarot Garden, the Magnum Opus of Niki de Saint Phalle - ACC Art Books US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An unprecedented look into the making of Niki de Saint Phalle’s monumental masterpiece, the Tarot Garden. Text in English, Italian and French.Foreword - "Le fiabe sono vere" (“Fairy tales are true”) 1. The Tarot Garden, or How the Princess Defeated the Demons: An Initiatory Journey 2. A Nana in Power: Niki de Saint Phalle Before the Tarot Garden (1958–1979) Chapter 1 : The Genesis of the Idea: From Childhood to 1979 - Make Believe: The Enchantment of North American Fiction, from Disneyland to Hollywood (8,400 characters) - The Birth of an Idea: The Visit to Park Güell in Barcelona in 1955 and Visionary Architectures - The Echo of the Middle Ages: The Tarot Garden as a Modern Cathedral for All Religions - A Thematic Garden: Influences from Other Gardens Around the World - An Esoteric Garden: The Tarot - A Feminist Garden: Monumental Ambition Chapter 2 : “I Wanted a Larger Kingdom”: The First Phase of the Construction of the Tarot Garden (1980–1985) - The Maremma and the Love for Italy - 1980–1984: The First Group of Major Arcana Sculptures in Cement — Stages of Construction - “The Family” Expands: Works by Artist Friends - Materials and Techniques: Mosaic as a Reconstruction of the Self - Restoration and Conservation of the Sculptures: Monumentality Tested by Time - The Spirit of an Entrepreneur: Self-Financing the Garden and the Anti-Hierarchy of the Arts Chapter 3 (20,000 characters) : The Rebirth of the Phoenix: The Second Phase of Construction (1985–1994) - Resin Works - Niki de Saint Phalle as Site Director: Responding to the Practical Needs of the Garden - Obstacles Along the Way: Public Suspicion and Curiosity, Issues with Italian Law, and the Disbelief That a Woman Alone - Could Achieve Such a Large-Scale Project - Trials: Illness, the Death of Jean Tinguely, Obsessions, Isolation - Social Commitments - The Move to San Diego in 1994 and the Establishment of Remote Work Chapter 4 (20,000 characters) : Working for Eternity (1995–2002) - Collaborations with Mario Botta - The Tarot Garden Foundation (1987): Status, Missions, and the Opening of the Garden to the Public (1988): Reception and Public Response - Protecting the Garden: Anticipating Challenges and Solutions Implemented During Her Lifetime (Merchandising) - Unfinished Ideas - Death of the Artist - 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