Hanover’s city fathers and mothers were inundated with nearly 20,000 letters of complaint when these three earth-mama sculptures were first installed beside the Leine River in 1974. Now, the voluptuous and fluorescent-coloured ‘Sophie’, ‘Charlotte’ and ‘Caroline’, by French artist Niki de Saint Phalle, are among the city’s most recognisable, and most loved, landmarks. Indeed, Die Nanas helped make de Saint Phalle famous.
