When these three earth-mama sculptures were first installed beside the Leine River in 1974, Hanover’s city fathers and mothers were inundated with nearly 20,000 letters of complaint. Now, the voluptuous and fluorescent-coloured ‘Sophie’, ‘Charlotte’ and ‘Caroline’ are among the city’s most recognisable, and most loved, landmarks. Their creator, the French artist Niki de Saint Phalle, was made an honorary citizen of Hanover in 2000; in gratitude she donated 300 of her artworks to the Sprengel Museum.
Die Nanas is one of eight works of public art (and the first one installed) found along the Skulpturenmeile (Sculpture Mile), a 1200m-long stretch along the six-lane Brühlstraße/Leibnizufer road from Königsworther Platz (the northern end) to Niedersächsische Landtag (the southern end), the Lower Saxony state parliament. (Going from south to north, Die Nanas is sculpture number two.)