The Hanover Nana art figures (created by Niki de Saint Phalle) have attracted more controversy than they deserve. Discuss. Nana - the main offender?? Face lifting Every city has its image. If you ask people from all over the country, some might say that Hanover has no particular one, but of course everyone knows that the city is somewhat "grey". Since the the early sixties and seventies the city had to suffer under the prejudice of beeing an unattractive stain in the landscape. Nothing happened in and around Hanover and boredom has been a favourite attribute to describe the city beside the Leine. Knowing this, the city department tried to work against this image with a street-art programm. In 1974 they bought three "Nanas"(huge, colorfull and big breasted statues) from french artist Nicki de St. Phalle and started other projects to polish the city´s face in the public. Everything looked good from that moment, apart from the reaction on the "Nanas". A big hassle began, but was it worth the trouble? This essay is a try to search for reasons and answers, why the "Nanas" caused so much controversy and if they deserved it after all. Martin Bennat 2 Disliked Exposition To understand the reaction of the poeple at these times, we must have a further look at the set and the scenery of these times. Indeed, Hannover was "grey" and was quite unattractive for tourists. In this case, the intention behind the placement of the Nanas was absolutely right. The cost: 150.000 "Deutsche Mark" - a lot of money at this time. The question about the funding released the controversy, because the alternate option for spending the money would have been a new ambulance, strongly recommended by a local hospital. After the "Nanas" had been installed, people started to think. Some of them thought that the money was poured down the drain and raised their voices. Another few got angry about the unesthetic outlook and third parties were still searching for disadvantages, as other people were already out on the street to demonstrate . The unacceptable attitude of the public made it much more difficult for Hannover´s fathers, than they thought in the beginning. It seemed like nobody wanted to understand the meaning of the "Nanas". Which were representatives for the female body itself and the lust for life. Looking at the sexual repressed society of the mid seventies, it is quite obvious that these figures were found to be somehow offending. From women, to rational conservatives and art-haters, they all wanted their slice. Even other artists claimed that the "Nanas" should not be there any longer, because they wanted the street-art project to be something completely different. Again we have to consider that most of the people, who were not into art at all, were somehow forced to form protest. They had been the first, who got confronted with such a massive art exposure in Hanover. It was new; it was (in this case) big and extraordinary. At Martin Bennat 3 these days, people were not used to it. It took a while until their minds became more sensible for art in this special dimension. Today the city owns so much places of art outside, that their lack would probably create protest now. Back in time, a signature collection with 20.000 participants was the first answer the citizens gave to the department, stating their opinion, that these "provoking" statues were feministic and too aggressive. The press and the media also did their part with interventional articels and pros and contras. The situation was about to escalate, as many Hanover inhabitants tried to demage or even to destroy the art-objects beside the river bed of the Leine. Police protection was neccesary to keep the crowd away. Looking through the eyes of a conservative and bourgeoise mind it all made sense. They didn´t wanted to spend public money for art they couln´t take any pleasure in. Despite most of their children really liked the "Nanas". In a short note about the situation at that time Holger Grab, from the "Kunstverein Langenhagen" writes: "To us - beeing a group of five boys - all the trouble seemed senseless. We just looked at them, they were gaudy, interresting, had beautifull bodys, it was just unreal, why people made such a big noise about them, why they should be obscene." ¹ Thus, the controversy around the "Nanas", was also rooted in generational conflicts. "Look mommy, she´s got bigger breasts than you" The youth liked them, the elderly did not. It somehow looks like a manifest, like a law or like a rule, that everything new and revolutionary splits up opinions and generations in such way as the "Nanas" did. If we consider the rest of the work from Nicki de Saint Phalle it Martin Bennat 4 appears quite normal, because her creation always found more believers in younger generations than in narrow minded geezers. Art, as we know, would not be alive if everybody likes it. The aim of painters, sculptureists and other artists is mostly not to satisfy everyone and the whole public opinion, but to make some of them think. And thinking is what the opposing force against the "Nanas" did at least. Art in the "Time-Tunnel"? Since years the dust has settled. The "Nanas" became a symbol for the work of Nicki de St. Phalle and Hannover is proud to have these symbols integrated and respected. Lately there has been an exhibition in Hanover about the whole history of: Charlotte, Sophie and Caroline: the three Nanas. Maybe it has been the wrong time to place art in the streets in Hanover. The people did not want to think about them, or to have them in their everyday life. At that time in the 70´s art mainly happened in museums and galleries and suddenly it was out on the streets. Knowing this, it is no miracle that there were oppenents of this "NEW" way to represent art in the society. For this reason, the "Nanas" surely deserved the controversy but it could have been any other art or sculpture. In the year 2000, just before the EXPO was about to begin, the "Symphony in Red" was installed on the Königsworther Platz in Hannover. A monumental structure of red steel looking like a mikado game. It was the finalization of the "Skulpturen Meile" which started off with the "Nanas" nearly 30 years ago. As you might except, noone complained about the installation. Times have changed. What if they had the possibility to place the "Symphony in Red" in the year 74 at the Leibnizufer? People would have been protesting as well. The result would have exactly the Martin Bennat 5 same, even though the sculpture of John Henry is not provokingly at all. But, it is also not to everyones taste and Nicki de Saint Phalle works are definitely a question of taste. So it has been open to dispute. As said before, the times are changing and so does the taste of the public and their opinions. Today, Niki de St. Phalle exists only in memories of her fans in symbolically in her work. She died at the 22 of March last year. In the past few years she earned lots of honor from the city of Hannover. The new "Passerelle" was named after her and "Die Grotte", which was started by Niki de St. Phalle has been finished after her death. Nobody would ever dare to complain about her work now, since she died and so many places in the city carry her sign. Braking the waves Finally we can say that the scandal started the evolution of Hanover. It was an evolution of art in the public, waking up proponents and objectors. From all the different groups and standpoints in the past, most of the inhabitants found their way to a community which identifies itself with the city and its symbols. The Nanas were at least pretty easy to "consume"". It is certainly easier to get grips with beautiful women, than with other stale and rusty images, like "Schwitters", "Leibniz" or the "Welfen", who all arranged Hanovers face before. Niki de St. Phalle shines through the whole city today. It became a hype, a triumphal procession even after her death. Martin Bennat 6 Although though the street art project from 1974 has been discontinued some years later, it broke fresh ground. Therefore, it is somehow out of the question, if the Nanas deserved controversy. They needed it. The Nanas had been perfect for this conflict that gave the city a new direction. As mentioned above, a different statue might have caused the same effect on society, but you will never know. 30 years ago, nobody knew exactly where to stand. Call it cultural movements or social upheavals, every discussion about new cloth, new music or any other thing of interest made sense. Looking back, Hanover deserved some attention for this curiosity in the history of art. If we see how much adored and loved Niki de St. Phalles´ work is today, we should not argue about "much ado about nothing". We should consider that the figures themselves did not force any controversy, its has been the public itself. If you question the value of this controversy, you must also question the people. In fact judging yourself is almost impossible. Word Count: 1525 Source Code ¹ Grab, Holger: http://www.kunstverein-langenhagen.de/schulz/graab.html, 23.11.2003 " Schöneberg. Kai : http://www.taz.de/pt/2003/08/30/a0041.nf/text, 23.11.2003 . three "Nanas"(huge, colorfull and big breasted statues) from french artist Nicki de St. Phalle and started other projects to polish the city´s face. interest made sense. Looking back, Hanover deserved some attention for this curiosity in the history of art. If we see how much adored and loved Niki de St.