Very early on, Niki de Saint Phalle (1930 – 2002) discovered the theater as a source of inspiration. She wrote her first play when she was only a young student. With Lysistrata, presented in the Staatstheater in Kassel in 1966, an intensive cooperation began with the director Rainer von Diez, for whose production Niki de Saint Phalle designed the costumes and scenery. Artistic work for the stage proved to be an important field of experimentation for the artist. Fascinated by the possibility of the active participation of the audience, Niki de Saint Phalle then wrote the stage play ICH, which was presented in Kassel on the occasion of the 1968 documenta exhibition.
The role played by theater in her art after 1968 has remained largely unrecognized. This publication demonstrates for the first time to what extent Niki de Sant Phalle was fascinated by the theater and how this affected her work. Through this new point of view it will be possible to analyse the screen prints developed from the stage play ICH in a new way. The unique perspective on her works sheds new light on her oeuvre in general and especially on the large series revolving around the theme of love.