Join us for a conversation on the importance of myth and spirituality in Niki de Saint Phalle’s practice with Bloum Cardenas and Jennifer Higgie, in celebration of the exhibition ‘Niki de Saint Phalle & Jean Tinguely. Myths & Machines’ at Hauser & Wirth Somerset.

Alongside her professional capacity as Trustee of the Niki Charitable Art Foundation and President of Giardino Dei Tarocchi, Bloum Cardenas is the granddaughter of Saint Phalle. In addition to exploring the themes of myth and spirituality, Cardenas will share insights about Saint Phalle, including her extraordinary personal and artistic relationship with Jean Tinguely.  

Jennifer Higgie is a writer, broadcaster, curator and art critic with a particular interest in spirituality within art. Her book, ‘The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World’ (2023), was the first major work of art history to focus on women artists and their engagement with the spirit world. Her other notable publications include, ‘The Mirror and the Palette: Revolution, Rebellion and Resilience: 500 Years of Women’s Self-Portraits (2021).’

Taking place in the bookshop, the talk will start promptly at 6 pm, with seats being allocated on a first come, first serve basis. Tickets cost £3 per person, with all proceeds supporting our 2024 – 2026 charity partner, Good Company Bruton. Both speakers will be available for a book signing after the talk.

The gallery and garden will stay open late until 6 pm so visitors can explore the exhibition before the talk begins.

Visitors can enjoy food and drink in Roth Bar until 8 pm. After the talk, Da Costa will be taking dinner reservations until 9.30 pm.

About ‘Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely. Myths & Machines’
Niki de Saint Phalle (1930 – 2002) and Jean Tinguely (1925 – 1991) are reunited in a major site-wide takeover at Hauser & Wirth Somerset in collaboration with the Niki Charitable Art Foundation. The first exhibition dedicated to both artists in the UK illustrates Saint Phalle and Tinguely’s visionary artistic output and enduring creative collaboration over three decades.

The exhibition features unseen works on paper and art decor by Saint Phalle, alongside shooting paintings and monumental open-air sculptures. Iconic kinetic machines by Tinguely range from the 1950s to the final year of his life, in addition to multifaceted collaborative works made by the duo throughout the 1980s.

On view through Sunday 1 February 2026.

About The Niki Charitable Art Foundation
The Niki Charitable Art Foundation was created by Niki de Saint Phalle and became officially active upon her death. It represents the artist’s personal collection. The Foundation maintains the artwork and archives and holds the intellectual property rights for them. The Foundation acts as a link and point of contact for all projects related to Niki de Saint Phalle.

About Jennifer Higgie
As a writer, broadcaster, curator and art critic, Jennifer Higgie has written extensively on women artists, myth, spirituality and the supernatural in publications including: Financial Times; Times Literary Supplement; Telegraph; Ocula; World of Interiors; The Brooklyn Rail; Sotheby’s Magazine; and Frieze Magazine. Higgie is the inaugural editor of the National Gallery of Australia’s publication The Annual, the editor of ‘The Artist’s Joke’ and the host of podcasts ‘Artists’s Artists’ and ‘Bow Down’. She was the editor of Frieze Magazine from 1998 – 2021. Her forthcoming novel, ‘Bedlam,’ will be published in 2026.

Higgie has curated exhibitions with The Hayward Gallery Touring and Arts Council Collection, UK, as well as institutions including Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds, UK; Nottingham Castle, Nottingham, UK; The Atkinson, Southport, UK; and Towner Gallery, Eastbourne, UK. She has been a judge of the John Moore’s Painting Prize, Paul Hamlyn Award, Turner Prize and the 2021 Freelands Painting Prize. Higgie is a member of the advisory boards for Arts Council England, the British Council Venice Biennale Commission and the Contemporary Art Society. She is currently on the Imperial War Museum Art Commissions Committee.

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Photographs will be taken at this event for use on the Hauser & Wirth website, social media and in other marketing materials.