Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) is best known for her oversized figures that embrace contradictory qualities such as good and evil, modern and primitive, sacred and profane, play and terror. De Saint Phalle's "Sun God" was the first work commissioned by the Stuart Collection and was her first outdoor commission in America. Sun God has become a landmark on the UC San Diego campus, with the annual springtime Sun God Festival as the largest event sponsored by the UCSD Associated Students. The grassy area beneath it is a popular site for rendezvous and celebrations, and there have been countless spontaneous responses which embrace the Sun God as a campus character. (#37804)