Le couple au ballon
Entry ID
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127 (14/02/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Le couple au ballon
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The couple with the ball
Description of the sculpture
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‘Le Couple au Ballon’ is a sculpture from 1974 by Niki de Saint Phalle. It shows a Black woman and a white man in bathing suits, each standing on one leg with their arms joyously outstretched and the man is holding a red ball. They are balanced on a blue half dome which acts as an integral base for the work. The female is typical of Niki de Saint Phalle’s Nana series and her ample figure is covered by a vibrant bathing suit with eyes, a heart and flowers decorating it.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Statue: Group (multiple figures)
Base
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Base present - appears to be the original base
Dimensions
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Height: 45 cm
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Width: 46 cm
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Depth: 24 cm
Materials
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Paint / pigment
Specific techniques used
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Casting
Overall colour
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Polychrome
Inscriptions
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Back of base: 'Niki'
Back of base: basely legible foundry mark
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Anonymous: generic/idealised type
Role within sculpture
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Main protagonist
Gender
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Female
Age
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Adult
Status
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Free citizen
Clothing
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Partially clothed
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Wearing clothes – European/Western clothing
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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None
Action or activity
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Other
Emotional state
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Happy
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Looking outwards (engaging viewer)
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Sculptor
Period of production
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Twentieth century (1900-1999)
Date of Production
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1984
Date inferred from
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Recorded in related documentation
Original purpose
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Decorative
Original display setting
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Secular Domestic: other
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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S.466
Provenance history
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2012: gifted by Eric and Jean Cass to Glasgow Museum
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26 October 1976: purchased by Eric and Jean Cass from Roger Nellens Atelier, Ostend, Belgium
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before 26 October 1976: private collector
License terms for reuse
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/1045, . (no date) ‘Le couple au ballon’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/1047
