No. 19 Baseball Player
#19 Baseball Player is a public sculpture by French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle, created in 1999.
Description
The sculpture portrays a baseball batter in a stance. The figure is made of vibrant mosaic tiles and is part of the artist’s "Black Heroes" series, inspired by San Diego Padres right fielder Tony Gwynn.History
The sculpture was unveiled in May 2015, in a public exhibition in downtown San Diego, on loan from the Niki Charitable Art Foundation for a period of up to twelve years.Location
The sculpture is installed outdoors at Waterfront Park. At this location, a total of three sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle can also be found: Large Seal, 1999. Followed by "The Serpent Tree". The lastly adjacent to the playground is Cat, which is also a play structure.New York Avenue Sculpture Project
#19 Baseball Player is one of the many sculptures being installed for the Project by the National Museum of Women in the Arts.These works was to remain up for one year, before being returned to the artists foundation.
In 2012, #19 Baseball Player was exhibited along Park Avenue in New York City as part of an outdoor installation of sculptures. The exhibition, presented by The Sculpture Committee of The Fund for Park Avenue in collaboration with other city public art organizations.
The Park Avenue installation included several of de Saint Phalle’s large-scale mosaic sculptures, among them:Les Baigneurs Les Trois Grâces #23 Basketball Player Nana on a Dolphin Arbre Serpents Grand Step Totem
- ''Louis Armstrong''
Reviews
- Jacqueline Trescott. . Style. The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 Oct 2025.
- Blake Gopnik. . Style. The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 Oct 2025.