Il mio segreto

An unobtainable artist’s book finally republished. Victim of incest, Niki de Saint Phalle reveals the terrible secret that remained buried for several decades. In this short handwritten work, the poignant tale of one of the greatest visual artists of the 20th century, “the desperate cry of the little girl,” comes to life. The artist began this text at the age of 64, written in the form of a letter to her daughter Laura, in which she recounts the unspeakable in simple and touching words.

I wrote this book first and foremost for myself, in an attempt to finally free myself from the tragedy that played such a defining role in my life. As a survivor of death, I needed to finally let the child in me speak. My text is the desperate cry of the little girl. N.S.P.