JEAN TINGUELY AT PIRELLI HANGARBICOCCA MILAN

 

JEAN TINGUELY AT PIRELLI HANGARBICOCCA MILAN

October 10, 2024 - February 2, 2025

JEAN TINGUELY AT PIRELLI HANGARBICOCCA MILAN

October 10, 2024 - February 2, 2025

Curated by Camille Morineau, Lucia Pesapane and Vicente Todolí with Fiammetta Griccioli.

From October 10, 2024, to February 2, 2025, Pirelli HangarBicocca presents "Jean Tinguely", the most comprehensive retrospective held in Italy since the artist's death.

The aim of the exhibition is to highlight the radical and experimental nature of Jean Tinguely, one of the artists who shaped the history of 20th century art, and to underline his contemporary relevance and status even today.

The show includes a nucleus of 40 works made from the 1950s to the 1990s, which will fill the 5,000 square meters of the vast Navate space at Pirelli HangarBicocca. Comprising many of his most important pieces, from his pioneering experimental kinetic sculptures to his monumental machines, the exhibition invites visitors into a unique and enthralling audio and visual environment.

The “Jean Tinguely” exhibition is organized by Pirelli HangarBicocca in collaboration with Museum Tinguely, Basel. The exhibition project is curated by Camille Morineau, Lucia Pesapane and Vicente Todolí with Fiammetta Griccioli.

The exhibition is part of the program of cultural events celebrating the 100th anniversary of the artist’s birth (1925-2025).

"I am a movement artist. I started with painting, but I got stuck, I was at a dead end" (from "Tinguely talks about Tinguely", interview broadcasted by Belgian Radio Television on December 13, 1982). This is how the artist, one of the most subversive figures of the last century, described himself. Tinguely focused all his experiments on overcoming twodimensionality, tirelessly researching the movement of matter and objects, and constant change, with the aim of overturning the notion of a permanent, definitive composition. This artistic attitude speaks to broader existential issues, such as the uncertainty and transience of the human condition and the evolution of social and political contexts.

Jean Tinguely (Fribourg, 1925 - Bern, 1991) is considered one of the great pioneering artists of the 20th century. As one of the most important exponents of kinetic art, he revolutionized the concept of the artwork itself. At the heart of his work is the exploration of the machine, its function and movement, its noises and sounds, and its inherent poetry. Tinguely was one of the first artists to use found objects, gears, and other materials, which he then welded together to create noisy, cacophonous working machines equipped with real motors. His sculptures also have a performative quality because of their constant movement and the peculiar way in which they engage the audience. Gears, especially the wheel, are often the basic element in the works of Tinguely, who deliberately disrupts their conventional function, liberating the machine from the “tyranny of utility” and encouraging the unexpected and ephemeral in his absurd, surprising contraptions.

The exhibition at Pirelli HangarBicocca is the most comprehensive retrospective held in Italy since the artist's death and features more than forty works from the 1950s to the 1990s, which fill almost the entire 5,000 square meters of the Navate.

The exhibition moves through a single sonic and visual choreography consisting of works in various formats, some even monumental, through which sound as well as dynamic and color components emerge, together with Tinguely’s forerunning expressivity.

The mechanical works establish a spontaneous connection with the vastness of the former industrial space of Pirelli HangarBicocca, offering the public the possibility to engage with and deeply explore the Swiss artist’s practice. His approach to art was intentionally detached from authorship, and therefore never unambiguous and definitive. Often realized as performance and sometimes set in public spaces, his art was transitory yet engaging and fascinating, thanks to its interactive elements.

The exhibition in Pirelli HangarBicocca opens with two imposing sculptures from the 1980s that Tinguely created by assembling wheels, belts, electric motors, and mechanical components, evoking the concept of the assembly line and in which noise is an important element: Cercle et carré-éclatés (1981) e Méta-Maxi (1986).

Throughout the Navate space, the exhibition follows a chronological path. The visitors are welcomed by Méta-Matic No. 10 (1959-2024), an exhibition replica of the work that the artist had realized in 1959 for the first time. The machine powered by small mechanical motors, creates abstract drawings on paper using colored felt-tip pens. Viewer participation thus became an integral part of the piece, superseding the idea of the artist as sole creator.

The exhibition path continues with Tricycle (1954), Sculpture méta-mécanique automobile (1954) and Méta-Herbin (1955) that constitute the earliest group of works featured in the exhibition. Influenced by the geometric abstractionist experiments of the early 20th century, Tinguely made several wire sculptures titled Méta-mécaniques, i.e., “beyond mechanics” by the art critic Pontus Hultén.

Requiem pour une feuille morte (1967), part of the series characterized by black monochrome surfaces, is a monumental sculpture drawn on the artist’s experience as a set designer. The artist employs backlighting, using circular shapes to create a layered composition of geometric figures. The entire colossal wheel mechanism is connected to the movement of a single small metal leaf painted white, referenced humorously in the work’s title.

L’appareil à faire des sculptures and Gismo, both realized in 1960, are emblematic works of a new sculptural approach, using discarded objects and scrap materials, symbols of a consumer-driven society. In Ballet des pauvres (1961) Tinguely incorporates salvaged domestic objects as well as metal bells and pots into the sculpture, suspending them with wires. All these elements are fixed to a suspended ceiling and connected to a motor, causing them to move and produce a rumbling noise.

The Baluba series evokes a dramatic historical issue that became an emblem of the struggle for freedom. The title of the Baluba series references the Bantu population that played a key role in establishing the Congo independence. Four sculptures (from 1962 and 1963) of this series are featured in the exhibition. They are comprised of salvaged metal parts, small used objects, feathers or other organic elements that make them intentionally humorous.

The Baluba series evokes a dramatic historical issue that became an emblem of the struggle for freedom. The title of the Baluba series references the Bantu population that played a key role in establishing the Congo independence. Four sculptures (from 1962 and 1963) of this series are featured in the exhibition. They are comprised of salvaged metal parts, small used objects, feathers or other organic elements that make them intentionally humorous.

Rotozaza No. 2 (1967) is an installation composed by a conveyor belt that breaks bottles. This work is poetically conceived in opposition to the production assembly line that is shifted from a purely productive context to a more playful and critical one, offering an alternative reflection on the function and purpose of objects.

Plateau agriculturel (1978) comprises parts of found agricultural machinery in the characteristic red color of the time (a rarity for Tinguely’s production) on a large iron base. The sculptures are free to move and operate on the platform devised as a stage for a visual and acoustic choreography.

Displayed together, Eos VIII (1966), Bascule V (1969) e Spirale IV (1969) are part of a series of works consisting of metal parts and moving motors that the artist painted entirely black to stand at the polar opposite of the consumerist subjects of Pop Art, at the height of their popularity at the time.

The retrospective in Pirelli HangarBicocca also features the lamp-sculptures which differ from the artist’s other works in that movement is secondary to their primary lighting function. Tinguely creates installations with colored bulbs, Lampe no.2 (1972), aligned on an arched structure, Lampe (ca. 1975-1978), installed wall and ceiling lights of monumental scale such as L’Odalisque (1989), or designed to decorate cafés and bars, Café Kyoto (1967), Mackay Messer (1991), Mercedes (1991), and Vive Marcel Duchamp (1991).

Pit-Stop (1984), Schreckenskarrette – Viva Ferrari (1985), and Shuttlecock (1990) reveal the artist's great passion for Formula 1 and speed racing, celebrating the aesthetics of speed and the energy of movement.

The Philosophers (1988-1989) are dedicated to philosophers who have theorized the antimaterialism such as Heidegger, Burkhardt, Engels, Rousseau etc. For each figure, Tinguely creates distinct worlds, offering a personal portrayal.

In Eight Philosophers, eight kinetic sculptures, united on a large iron platform designed by the artist, represent philosophers from antiquity to the 20th century. In this coral work, Tinguely gave each philosopher a humorous title, such as “Democritus in trouble” or “Plato in action”.

The work that closes the exhibition, Le Champignon magique (1989), is one of the last collaborations between Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, an artistic duo and life partners. The sculpture takes the shape of a mushroom stalk divided into two distinct sections that symbolize the complementary nature of the two artists: “Jean was movement, I [Niki de Saint Phalle] was color”. Concurrently with the exhibition “Jean Tinguely” in Pirelli HangarBicocca, a solo exhibition dedicated to Niki de Saint Phalle (from October 5, 2024 to February 16, 2025), curated by Lucia Pesapane and in collaboration with Niki Charitable Art Foundation, is held at Mudec Museum in Milan.

The retrospective at Pirelli HangarBicocca is also an opportunity to celebrate Jean Tinguely's close relationship with Milan, where he created some of his most ambitious projects, such as La Vittoria (1970), an iconic performance organized in front of the Duomo on the night of November 28, 1970. In the Lab room, visitors find documentation on the event in which an approximately ten meters high phallic-shaped structure (also called The Suicide of the Machine by Tinguely), launched firecrackers into the sky for nearly half an hour, with the famous song ‘O Sole Mio playing in the background, until its destruction.

This retrospective coincides with the centenary of the artist's birth in 2025 and is part of the palimpsest of exhibitions and cultural events dedicated to the Swiss artist and here collected: Tinguely100 (www.tinguely.ch/en/tinguely100.html).

1.  CERCLE ET CARRÉ – ÉCLATES, 1981 (DETAILS)

1. Cercle et carré-éclatés, 1981

2. Méta-Maxi, 1986

The exhibition opens with two imposing sculptures that Jean Tinguely created in the 1980s as a result of his research on movement commenced in the 1950s. Both were made with wheels, belts, electric motors, and mechanical components, evoking the concept of the assembly line. On the left is Cercle et carré-éclatés, made in 1981. The title references the abstract artist group Cercle et Carré (Circle and Square), founded in Paris in 1929 by painter Joaquín Torres García (1874–1949) and art critic and historian Michel Seuphor (1901–1999). It is constructed using circles and squares: geometric shapes linked to symmetry, the concept of perfection and balance, considered among the principal compositional elements in abstract art. Tinguely, however, disrupts these ideals by introducing these forms to the “imperfect” circuit of Cercle et carré-éclatés. The sculpture is in fact an idling machine, whose movements are not aimed at assembling a product, but are irregular, uncoordinated, and generate noise. This sound, a hallmark of Tinguely’s work, reflect his ongoing exploration of discordance conducted since his first experiments with machines.

Sound is also an important element in Méta-Maxi, made five years after Cercle et carré-éclatés and induced by the movement of the sculpture’s gears and of percussions. The Greek prefix meta, meaning “beyond” and “transcending,” underlines the creative character of Tinguely’s machines. In the majestic structure of Méta-Maxi, plastic and plush figures emerge from between the gears, distancing the machine from notions of perfection and predictability.

1.  CERCLE ET CARRÉ – ÉCLATES, 1981

Iron Structure on Wheels, Wood and Metal Elements and

Wheels, Rubber Belts, Lamp, Electric Motors

Dimensions: 310 x 1340 x 300 cm

MAH, Musée d’art et d’histoire, Ville de Genève

MAH, Musée d’art et d’histoire, Ville de Genève Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan 

Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024 Photo Agostino Osio

2.  MÉTA MAXI, 1986 (DETAILS)

2.  MÉTA MAXI, 1986

Metal Frame on Wheels, Wood and Metal Wheels, Musical Instruments,

Rubber Belts, Plastic and Plush Toys, Electric Motors

Dimensions: 340 x 1260 x 430 cm

On loan from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan 

Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024 Photo Agostino Osio

4. SCULPTURE MÉTAMÉCANIQUE AUTOMOBILE, 1954

Iron Tripod, Wheels, Rods and Wire, Colored Metal Sheets, Winder

Dimensions: 134 x 79 x 56 cm

Achat en 1981. Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris,

Musée National d’art Moderne-Centre de Création Industrielle

4. Sculpture méta-mécanique automobile, 1954

5. Méta-Herbin, 1955

6. Tricycle, 1954

These three works constitute the earliest group featured in the exhibition. At the beginning of the 1950s, Tinguely made several wire sculptures, influenced by the geometric abstractionist experiments of the early 20th century. The art critic Pontus Hultén suggested Tinguely call these sculptures Méta-mécaniques, i.e., “beyond mechanics.” At a time when consumer society was just emerging, Tinguely proposed kinetic sculptures that echoed the form of gears and possessed no traditional production function.

The piece Tricycle, part of the series, resembles a tricycle made of wire gears. It was shown in Milan at the invitation of Bruno Munari, who organized Tinguely’s first solo exhibition in Italy at the Studio d’Architettura B24 in December 1954.

The following year, at the Galerie Denise René in Paris, Tinguely displayed Sculpture méta-mécanique automobile in his solo exhibition “Le Mouvement”: a wire sculpture that again drew on the forms of the wheel and gear, to which the artist added details in sheet metal painted with primary colors and black. Similar in terms of formal composition, the work Méta-Herbin was also featured in the same exhibition and named after the French painter Auguste Herbin (1862–1960). It was accompanied by Méta-Kandinsky (1955) and Méta-Malevitch (1954), referring to the geometric abstract avant-garde artists who painted triangles, circles, and semicircles as areas of solid color on white canvases.

For conservation purposes Sculpture méta-mécanique automobile and Tricycle can no longer be operated. Hence, they are not part of the overall activation schedule of works in the exhibition.

5.  MÉTA – HERBIN, 1955

Iron Tripod and Rods, Wire, Colored Metal Sheets, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 125 x 62 x 65 cm

Fondation Gandur pour l’Art, Genève

3.      MÉTA – MATIC NO. 10, 1959 REPLICA (2024)

Iron Tripod, Metal Sheet and Rods, Wood Wheels, Rubber Belts,

Black Paint, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 84 x 118 x 61 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. A Cultural Commitment of Roche

3. Méta-Matic No. 10, 1959

«Come create your own painting with spirit, fury or elegance, using the Méta-Matics by Tinguely, sculptures that paint!» Thus reads the invitation to the Méta-Matics exhibition that opened in July 1959 at the Galerie Iris Clert in Paris, where the artist presented his innovative sculptures to the public. This series of works included drawing machines that viewers could operate. Powered by small mechanical motors, these devices created abstract drawings on paper using colored felt-tip pens. 

 The Méta-Matics exhibition not only invited the public to interact directly with the sculptures but also encouraged reflection on the role of the machine in art and the element of chance in the creative process. Viewer participation thus became an integral part of the piece, superseding the idea of the artist as sole creator. This approach made art accessible to all and allowed the person who operated the machine to become the owner of the small work on paper.

As art critic Pontus Hultén explained, «Tinguely seeks mechanical disorder in his machines. The workings of his paintings have no precision other than that of chance.» The artist’s interest in mechanical disorder and interaction with viewers would continue to mark his production of the following years, as can be seen by his drawing machines. An example is Cyclograveur (1960), a ludic machine that recalls a bicycle and could be activated by pushing its pedals to create a drawing.

Méta-Matic No. 10, presented in the show, is an exhibition replica of the 1959 machine, realized in 2024 by Museum Tinguely. For conservation purposes the original work can no longer be activated.

At Pirelli HangarBicocca’s bookshop, it is possible to purchase a token for 5 euros that will allow visitors to activate the work and make a drawing on stamped paper.

7.  REQUIEM POUR UNE FEUILLE MORTE, 1967

7.  REQUIEM POUR UNE FEUILLE MORTE, 1967

Steel Frame, Wood and Metal Wheels, Leather Belts, Black Paint,

Welded Leaf With White Paint, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 305 x 1150 x 80 cm

Collection Fonds Renault Pour l’art et la Culture, France

Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024

7. Requiem pour une feuille morte, 1967

In 1967, Jean Tinguely created the monumental sculpture Requiem pour une feuille morte for the Swiss Pavilion at the World’s Fair in Montréal. Drawing on the artist’s experience as a set designer for the mechanical curtain of the ballet L’Éloge de la Folie by the renowned French choreographer Roland Petit (1924–2011) at the Théâtre de Champs-Elysées in Paris the previous year, the work consists of a series of wheels of different sizes driven by belts. As in the set design, the artist uses the concept of backlighting in which overlapping or adjacent circular shapes help to create a layered ensemble of geometric figures. The entire colossal wheel mechanism is connected to the movement of a single small metal leaf painted white, referenced humorously in the work’s title.

Requiem pour une feuille morte is part of a series of sculptures created by the artist since 1963, all characterized by black monochrome surfaces. The radical gesture of painting everything black made Tinguely’s work the polar opposite of the consumerist subjects of Pop Art, at the height of their popularity at the time: «Black is a way to make the found object disappear—it is the quintessential anti-New Realist gesture—no more New Realists, no more found objects.»

8. L’appareil à faire des sculptures, 1960

9. Gismo, 1960

Following the success of Homage to New York in 1960, Tinguely began experimenting with a new sculptural approach, using discarded objects and scrap materials found on the streets, with minimal alteration. This method was a direct critique to consumer society’s idea of progress, in contrast to American Pop Art, which celebrated the object to an icon of modernity and prosperity.

L’appareil à faire des sculptures, realized with materials from Parisian dumps, is an emblematic example of Tinguely’s critical stance on consumerism. The machine has a central body composed of a barrel welded to a rack structure, along with a tractor seat and other salvaged components. It was an interactive sculpture: a disc mounted on a tall metal rod, with a block of plaster, was rhythmically struck by a small chisel. Viewers could sit and spin the barrel with their feet, becoming an integral part of the artistic process and “sculptors” of the work.

t Pirelli HangarBicocca, L’appareil à faire des sculptures is displayed alongside another large sculpture, Gismo, just as they were at the Galerie des Quatre Saisons in Paris in May 1960. In order to transport the works from his studio to the gallery, Tinguely had recruited several friends to organize a parade-like event, including a band, that he called “Le transport.” Gismo resembles a large mechanical creature composed of bicycles, wheelbarrows, and small toy wheels, assembled from scrap metal and other found objects such as pots, tins, and a helmet. Driven by a small motor, it emitted loud mechanical sounds through the movement of its parts, creating a “total” experience that engaged viewers both visually and audibly.

For conservation purposes L’appareil à faire des sculptures and Gismo can no longer be operated. Hence, they are not part of the overall activation schedule of works in the exhibition. Their movement is documented in the nearby archival video of the parade “Le transport.”

9.  GISMO, 1960

Metal Structure, Wheels and Rods, Tin Can and Pitcher,

Metal Helmet, Rubber Belts, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 200 x 560 x 170 cm

Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, restored with the generous support of

All Art Initiatives and the participants of the VriendenLoterij

10.  BALLET DES PAUVRES, 1961

Aluminum Plate, Iron Wheels, Transmission Rods, Fur, Various

Objects in Fabric, Plastic, Metal, and Leather, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 360 x 390 x 220 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. A Cultural Commitment of Roche

10. Ballet des pauvres, 1961

More than any other work produced in the 1960s, Ballet des pauvres exemplifies the ongoing evolution of Tinguely’s artistic lexicon. The movements and materials he chose to work with became increasingly expressive, showing a gradual departure from the cleaner geometries of his 1950s works. Ballet des pauvres was displayed for the first time at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1961, in an exhibition that offered a comprehensive overview of kinetic art, including the Futurists and Alexander Calder.

For the first time, Tinguely incorporated salvaged domestic objects into the sculpture, suspending with wires items such as clothing, including a nightdress, a tattered fox fur, a stocking worn on an artificial leg, and other metal pieces such as bells, pots, and a tray. All these objects are fixed to a suspended ceiling and connected to a motor activated by a timer, causing them to move and produce a rumbling noise. By suspending the base from the ceiling, Tinguely overturns the traditional concept of statuary sculpture with a base on the floor and pays tribute to the exhibitions with objects on the ceiling staged by Marcel Duchamp and in the Dadaist exhibitions, where humor was a key feature.

11. UNTITLED, BALUBA, 1961-62

Oil Drum, Metal Springs and Bars, Iron Wire, Rubber Tube,

Plastic Objects, Feather, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 192 x 52 x 41 cm

Achat en 1982. Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris,

Musée National d’art Moderne-Centre de Création Industrielle

13. BALUBA BLEU, 1962

Oil Drum, Metal Springs and Rods, Iron Wire, Chains, Plastic Object, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 200 x Ø 76 cm

Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Restored with the Generous

support of All Art Initiatives and the Participants of the VriendenLoterij

Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024

14. BALUBA FOURRURE NO. 3, 1962

Metal Structure and Springs, Plastic Toys, Ferret’s Fur,

Rope, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 107 x 43 x 48 cm

Private collection, Courtesy Galerie GP & N Vallois

11. Untitled, Baluba, 1961–62

12. Baluba Bleu, 1962

13. Untitled, Baluba, 1962

14. Baluba Fourrure No. 3, 1962

In accordance with his adherence to Nouveau Réalisme, and his choice to assemble disparate discarded objects and develop mechanical movement as an end in itself, Tinguely commenced the Baluba series. Seeking to engage the public with contemporary issues, the artist explained: «I made wobbling Balubas—sculptures meant to portray a certain craziness and rush in this technological civilization.» He also chose the title of the Baluba series as a reference to the political situation in Central Africa in the early 1960s. The Bantu people, which includes the Baluba, had played a key role in establishing independence in Congo, and their leader Patrice Lumumba (1925–1961) had been killed after less than a year into his presidency.

Each sculpture in the series comprises salvaged metal parts, to which Tinguely added small used objects, feathers or other organic elements. A motor inside each sculpture enables it to move when activated. Intentionally humorous, these machines take on a life of their own and become characters that raise questions about the meaning of life.

For conservation purposes Baluba Bleu can no longer be operated. Hence, it is not part of the overall activation schedule of works in the exhibition.

15. LE GORILLE DE NIKI, 1963

Metal Structure, Plastic Toy Gorilla, Black Paint, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 60 x 25 x 20 cm

Private collection, Courtesy Galerie GP & N Vallois

15. Le gorille de Niki, 1963

16. Vive la muerta, 1963

17. Maschinenbar, 1960–85

In the early 1960s, Tinguely produced small-scale sculptures with playful compositions made from found objects such as Le gorille de Niki and Vive la muerta, presented in the show together with the series of Baluba.

Le gorille de Niki features a sheet iron base topped with a plastic toy gorilla and an electric motor. Painted black, it incorporates elements of popular culture, such as the iconic gorilla from the film King Kong (1933) on New York City’s tallest skyscrapers. Vive la muerta, on the other hand, features a skeletal figure on a horse, made from wire and other materials. In this case, the artist draws on mythology and popular culture for the figure of death personified, galloping with a scythe to sever the final ties between body and soul.

In the 1980s, Tinguely extended the series completing the work Maschinenbar, a long table with small sculptures also made from discarded materials, toys, and other tools, which he worked on for 20 years. By activating them, each element produces unexpected noises or movements, such as hammers comically striking small animals or animal skulls swaying on mechanical arms. Maschinenbar can be directly operated by viewers using the buttons placed in front of the work.

16. VIVE LA MUERTA, 1963

Cast Iron Base, Steel Bar, Metal Toy Horse, Black Paint, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 79 x 19 x 24 cm

Private collection, Courtesy Galerie GP & N Vallois

Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024

18. ROTOZAZA NO. 2, 1967

Metal Structure, Wood and Metal Wheels, Plexiglas, Bicycle Chain,

Rubber Belts, Glass Bottles Fragments, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 230 x 800 x 400 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. A cultural commitment of Roche

18. Rotozaza No. 2, 1967

Rotozaza No. 2 is an installation poetically conceived in opposition to the production assembly line. It features a conveyor belt that transports bottles, only to break them with a hammer at the end of its cycle, leaving the shards of glass heaped on the floor.

The title Rotozaza is onomatopoeic, evoking the sharp, shrill sound emitted by a machine. The simple, rudimentary device recalls the pioneering works of kinetic art. Tinguely made the first work of the series, Rotozaza No. 1 (1967), designed for play: the machine “throws balls” that the public must continually reinsert into the mechanism to keep it active. In 1969, a third work was added to the series, Rotozaza No. 3, a machine displayed in the window of the Victor Loeb department store in Bern that repeatedly destroyed the plates on sale.

With these installations, Tinguely shifted the mechanical device from a purely productive context to a more playful and critical one. Once again, he sought to challenge consumer society by creating an experience that stimulates curiosity and offers an alternative reflection on the function and purpose of objects.

Rotozaza No. 2 is activated by a museum mediator on Thursdays and Fridays at 11.30 am and on Saturday and Sundays at 11.30 am and 4.30 pm.

19. PLATEAU AGRICULTUREL, 1978

19. PLATEAU AGRICULTUREL, 1978

Parts of Agricultural Machinery, Iron Base, Wood and Metal Wheels,

Rubber Belts, Garden Gnome, Electric Motors

Dimensions: 50 x 850 x 460 cm (base); 217 x 850 x 460 cm

Dimensioni Complessive/ Overall Dimensions

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Micheline und Claude Renard.

A Cultural Commitment of Roche Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan

Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024

19. Plateau agriculturel, 1978

Plateau agriculturel is composed of parts of agricultural machinery painted in the characteristic red on a large iron base—a rarity for Tinguely, who always preferred polychrome or black-painted elements. The sculptures are free to move and operate on the platform devised as a stage for a visual and acoustic choreography. Tinguely experimented extensively with sound in the 1970s, with the creation of noisy machines, where agricultural objects became metallic musical instruments with their own rhythm and timbre.

The work was originally conceived for the 1978 group exhibition “Hammer Ausstellung” held in a former factory on Hammerstrasse in Basel, where it was displayed with works by Eva Aeppli, Niki de Saint Phalle, Daniel Spoerri, and Sigmar Polke (1941–2010), among others.

PIRELLI HANGERBICOCCA MILAN

ABOUT PIRELLI HANGERBICOCCA MILAN

Pirelli HangarBicocca is a non-profit foundation dedicated to producing and promoting contemporary art. It was conceived and is supported by Pirelli.

Established in 2004, Pirelli HangarBicocca has become a benchmark institution for the international art community, local public and region. It is a museum that is free of charge, accessible and open, and a place for experimentation, research and dissemination, where art is a point of reflection on the most topical themes of contemporary culture and society.

It caters to a broad and diverse public with a programme of major solo exhibitions by both Italian and international artists, a multi-disciplinary program of accompanying events and in-depth discussions, theoretical and informational publications, and educational courses. A team of museum facilitators is on hand at all times to help the public connect with the art.

Vicente Todolí has been the foundation’s artistic director since 2012.

Situated in a former industrial building, once a locomotive manufacturing facility, Pirelli HangarBicocca occupies 15,000 square metres, making it one of the largest single-level exhibition spaces in Europe. This vast area comprises the Shed and Navate spaces, which are used for temporary exhibitions, and the permanent display of Anselm Kiefer’s The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004-2015. This monumental installation with seven reinforced concrete towers has become one of the most iconic works in Milan.

The building also houses a number of services for the public: a spacious entrance with reception area, facilities for educational activities, space for conferences and meetings, bookshop and bistro with a charming outdoor area.

https://pirellihangarbicocca.org/en/pirelli-hangarbicocca/

HISTORY OF THE PIRELLI HANGERBICOCCA

The history of Pirelli HangarBicocca is closely linked to that of Breda, a company incorporated in 1886 by Ingegner Ernesto Breda, who moved it to the Bicocca district from 1903. Pirelli, Falck and Marelli followed suit with their own companies, thus turning the area into one of the most important industrial centres in Italy.

In the new 200,000m² factory, Breda mainly manufactured railway carriages, electric and steam locomotives, boilers, farm machinery and equipment and, during the First World War, aeroplanes, projectiles and other products for the war effort. One of these factory buildings was Pirelli HangarBicocca, which at the time was divided into blocks of different types, origin and size. The “Shed“, for example, a typical low bare-brick factory building with double-pitched roof and large skylights, is already quite recognisable in photos dating from the first half of the 1920s. It was here that components for locomotives and farm machinery were manufactured.

In 1955 Breda Elettromeccanica e Locomotive enlarged its premises with the addition of a cubic barrel-vaulted building which is now the “Cubo” exhibition space of Pirelli HangarBicocca. The huge building that joins the Shed and the Cubo, which is today called “Navate”, was constructed between 1963 and 1965 for the transformers department. It was here that high-powered machines were assembled and tested. The building, which has retained its original dimensions – 9500 m² with a height of about 30 metres – consists of a “nave” and two aisles. Since 2004, one of these has been home to The Seven Heavenly Palaces by the German artist Anselm Kiefer. Storage facilities and sheds were demolished in about 2000 to create the garden where Fausto Melotti’s La Sequenza has been since 2010.

In the early 1980s, Breda was taken over by the Ansaldo Group and, almost at the same time, the historic industrial areas gradually began to be decommissioned. The Bicocca district then underwent an almost total urban redevelopment. The Bicocca Project, which was launched in 1986, led to the creation of university buildings, administration centres and private housing around the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, as well as to the redevelopment of the old Pirelli factory buildings. After a decade of neglect, Pirelli HangarBicocca (formerly known as Ansaldo 17) was purchased by Prelios, the former Pirelli RE, which in 2004 decided to turn it into an exhibition space for contemporary art.

https://pirellihangarbicocca.org/en/history-of-the-building/

PIRELLI HANGERBICOCCA MILAN

22. SPIRALE IV, 1969

Iron Base, Steel Drill, Black Paint, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 230 x 330 x 80 cm

Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Restored With the Generous Support of

All Art Initiatives and the Participants of the VriendenLoteri

23. L’ODALISQUE, 1989

Hanging and Floor Lamps; Wood and Metal Elements,

Lightbulbs, Found Objects, Electric Motors

Dimensions: 600 x 800 x 400 cm

Dimensioni Complessive/ Overall Dimensions

Bischofberger Collection, MännedorfZurich, Switzerland

Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024

23. L’Odalisque, 1989

24. Lampe No. 2, 1972

25. Lampe, c. 1975–78

26. Lampe, 1990

27. Mackay Messer, 1991

28. Mercedes, 1991

29. Vive Marcel Duchamp, 1991

30. Café Kyoto, 1987

Tinguely created his first “lamp sculpture” on the night of December 12, 1972, for Niki de Saint Phalle, assembling a piece of wrought iron, some wheels, springs, cables and, most importantly, several lamp holders and bulbs bought in a DIY shop. The lamp sculptures differ from his other works in that movement is secondary to their primary lighting function. After the first prototype, Tinguely created Lampe No. 2, which included a stuffed bird, electric cables, and a motor, in addition to colored bulbs. In Lampe (c. 1975–78), he aligned a series of small light bulbs on an arched structure.

From the 1980s onwards, he installed wall and ceiling lights, greatly extending their scale, to decorate cafés and bars, such as Lampe (1990). The first ensemble was made for the Cafeteria zur Münz in Zurich in 1983, followed by a design for the Café Kyoto in Japan and, finally, the last set of lamps for the bar of the Hotel Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1991, including Mackay Messer, Mercedes, and Vive Marcel Duchamp, featured in the exhibition.

In the same years, Tinguely also produced lamps of monumental dimensions, most notably L’Odalisque (1989), on display at Pirelli HangarBicocca, and Luminator (1991). These works are the most complex and impressive assemblages of lamps created by the artist, the culmination of his research into kinetic light sculptures.

24. LAMPE NO. 2, 1972

Floor Lamp; Metal Elements, Spotlights, Lightbulbs, Chain, Clamp,

Feathers, Taxidermized Bird, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 180 x 90 x 88 cm

Fondation Gandur pour l’Art, Genève

24. LAMPE NO. 2, 1972 (DETAIL)

25. LAMPE, 1975-78 ca.

Floor Lamp; Metal Elements, Lightbulbs, Polyester, Chain,

Feathers, Plastic, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 230 x 116 x 120 cm

Courtesy Galerie GP & N Vallois

26. LAMPE, 1990

Hanging Lamp; Iron Elements, Found Objects,

Lightbulbs, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 240 x 300 x 230 cm

Esther Grether Family Collection

28. MERCÉDÈS, 1991 (FOREGROUND)

Hanging Lamp; Metal Elements, Wood and Metal Wheels,

Rubber Belts, Animal Skull, Lightbulbs, Electric Motors

Dimensions: 300 x 400 x 300 cm ca.

Private collection, Switzerland

 

29. VIVE MARCEL DUCHAMP, 1991 (BACKROUND)

Hanging Lamp; Wood and Metal Elements, Found Objects,

Animal Skulls, Feathers, Lightbulbs, Electric Motors

Dimensions: 200 x 400 x 300 cm ca.

Private collection, Switzerland

30. CAFÉ KYOTO, 1987

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle. 

A Cultural Commitment of Roche Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan 

Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024

One Lamp, Three Tables and Fifteen Chairs From the Bar “Café Kyoto”, Kyoto, Japan.

The bar was created in 1987 and dismantled in 2003

 

A. KYOTO LAMPE 1, 1987

Hanging Lamp; Iron Elements, Lamps, Found Objects, Electric Motors

Dimensions: 120 x 230 x 290 cm

 

B. KYOTO ROUND LARGE TABLE 1, 1987

Table; Iron Elements, Wood Panels, Mirror

Dimensions: 213 x 184 x 203 cm

36. JEAN TINGUELY E/AND NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE

LE CHAMPIGNON MAGIQUE, 1988

Iron Elements and Wheels, Rubber Belts, Polyester,

Mirror Mosaic, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 300 x 210 x 170 cm

Niki Charitable Art Foundation, Santee

JEAN TINGUELY & NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE

Foreground: Jean Tinguely, Café Kyoto, 1987

Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, Le Champignon magique, 1989

31. PIT-STOP, 1984

Parts of Two Renault RE40 Formula 1 Racing Cars, Iron Elements,

four 16mm Projectors, Electric Motors

Dimensions: 360 x 600 x 600 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle. A Cultural Commitment of

Roche Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024

31. Pit-Stop, 1984

32. Schreckenskarrette–Viva Ferrari, 1985

33. Shuttlecock, 1990

A racing car enthusiast, Tinguely was commissioned to make the Pit-Stop sculpture in the 1980s by car manufacturer Renault, composed of parts of the Renault RE40 Formula One model driven by Eddie Cheever and Alain Prost. Edited films with overlays and slow-motion shots from the Zeltweg racetrack in Austria are projected from the moving arms, showing Alain Prost’s car during a pitstop in the 1983 Austrian Grand Prix. This is the sole example of film incorporated in the artist’s work.

Two years later, Tinguely made Schreckenskarrette–Viva Ferrari, a sculpture evoking the world of Ferrari, of which he had been a collector since the 1960s, when he bought a 250GT Lusso. The title Schreckenskarrette, which translates to “chariot of fear,” recalls the form of a Roman chariot and captures the thrill and danger of motor racing.

Finally, Shuttlecock is made from parts of a sidecar in which Swiss champion René Progin competed in the 1988 World Motorcycle Championship. This bodywork is the only one customized by Tinguely, and this was also the only time that the artist designed racing suits for the driver and passenger. The title Shuttlecock refers to the most challenging curve on the St. Moritz bobsleigh track, where speeds of up to 130 km/h are reached. In these sculptures, Tinguely combined his love of Formula One with his artistic vision, transforming sports vehicles and accessories into works of art that celebrate the aesthetics of speed and the energy of movement.

32. SCHRECKENSKARRETTE–VIVA FERRARI, 1985

Metal Wheel Barrow With Rubber Wheels, Iron Elements, Wood and Metal Wheels,

Rubber Belt, Chain, Tools, Torn Truck Tire, Porcelain Handle, Toy Car, Electric Motors

Dimensions: 190 x 160 x 94 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle.

A Cultural Commitment of Roche

33. SHUTTLECOCK, 1990

Wood base, metal structure and wheels, sidecar parts,

tyres, helmets, electric motor

Dimensions: 320 x 280 x 280 cm

Collection of Larry Warsh

34. PHILOSOPHERS SERIES (1988-89)

Pjotr Kropotkin, Philosopher, 1988 Henri Bergson, Philosopher, 1988 

Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosopher, 1988 Wedekind, Philosopher, 1988-89 

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle. 

A Cultural Commitment of Roche Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan

Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024

Tinguely dedicated the sculptures of his Philosophers series to thinkers, friends, and artists who had influenced him. They include Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), whose ideas inspired the proponents of the French Revolution, the anarchist Pyotr Kropotkin (1842–1921), the playwright Frank Wedekind (1864– 1918), the co-founder of Marxism together with Karl Marx (1818– 1883) and supporter of communist ideologies Friedrich Engels (1820–1895), and modern thinkers such as Martin Heidegger (1889–1976), Jacob Burckhardt (1818–1897), Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951), and Henri Bergson (1859–1941).

Tinguely created distinct worlds for each figure, offering a per - sonal portrayal. For example, the sculpture dedicated to Frank Wedekind has a rusty chair turned upside down like the pre - conceptions of the bourgeois society he intended to subvert, while Jacob Burckhardt’s headdress resembles a rusty scroll that recalls Basel’s coat of arms and the Fasnacht Larve, the traditional mask of Basel’s carnival.

A.  MARTIN HEIDEGGER, PHILOSOPHER, 1988

Iron Elements and Pipe, Aluminum Wheel, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 157 x 102 x 72 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle.

A Cultural Commitment of Roche

B.  JACOB BURCKHARDT, PHILOSOPHER, 1988

Iron Sheet and Elements, Car Parts, Wood Wheel, Carnival

Papier Mâché Mask, Feather, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 239 x 152 x 67 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle.

A Cultural Commitment of Roche

D.  FRIEDRICH ENGELS, PHILOSOPHER, 1988

Metal Plate and Elements, Wood Wheel,

Chains With Porcelain Handles, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 172 x 100 x 98 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle.

A Cultural Commitment of Roche

E.  HENRI BERGSON, PHILOSOPHER, 1988

Iron Elements, Copper Profile, Wood Wheel, Drive Belt,

Bearings, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 223 x 138 x 178 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle.

A Cultural Commitment of Roche

F.  PJOTR KROPOTKIN, PHILOSOPHER, 1988

Surfboard Part, Iron Elements, Wood Wheel, Straps,

Oil Rrum, Elastic Bands, Pallet, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 208 x 230 x 94 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle.

A Cultural Commitment of Roche

G.  JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU, PHILOSOPHER, 1988

Iron Elements, Plastic Pipe, Carneval Papier Mâché Mask, Headpiece

With Feathers, Drive Belt, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 201 x 227 x 133 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle.

A Cultural Commitment of Roche

H.  WEDEKIND, PHILOSOPHER, 1988-89

Iron eElements, Wood Wheel, Drive Belt, Electric Motor

Dimensions: 189 x 91 x 69 cm

Museum Tinguely, Basel. A Cultural Commitment of Roche

showing Alain Prost’s car during a pitstop in the 1983 Austrian Grand Prix.

 This is the sole example of film incorporated in the artist’s work.

«For me the machine is above all an instrument that permits me to be poetic. If you respect the machine, if you enter into a game with the machine, then perhaps you can make a truly joyous machine—by joyous, I mean free.»

Jean Tinguely

ABOUT JEAN TINGUELY

Jean Tinguely (Fribourg, 1925–Berne, 1991) was a pioneering artist of the 20th century who revolutionized the concept of artwork and was a key figure of kinetic art, which experimented with visual perception and movement during the 1960s and 1970s. At the heart of Tinguely’s work is the machine, seen not only as a functional object but as a sculpture imbued with movement, sound, and its own poetry. The artist transformed discarded objects and salvaged materials, such as gears and scrap, into mechanical sculptures that are often ironic, noisy, cacophonous, and have a life of their own thanks to complex motors and mechanisms.

During his childhood, Jean Tinguely lived in Basel, where, at the age of 16, he began an apprenticeship working as a window decorator and during that time he followed courses in drawing at the School of Applied Arts. Attracted by the radical ideas of movements such as Dadaism, which emerged in Zurich in 1916, Tinguely was drawn to art that rejected the conventional stanards of the time, pursuing new forms of expression incorporating movement and perception. In 1953, he left Basel for Paris, the vibrant center of the art scene, with his wife and fellow artist Eva Aeppli (1925–2015). There, he worked on new compositions and sculptures from wire and colored geometric shapes, inspired by the linear, kinetic, and mechanical sculptures known as “mobiles” of the American artist Alexander Calder (1898–1976). Another key influence was Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968), a pioneer of conceptual art, who in the 1920s created works with mechanisms and rotating circles that generated innovative optical effects.

At his first solo exhibition at Galerie Arnaud in Paris in 1954, Tinguely presented a series of wire sculptures called Méta-mécaniques, featuring small electric motors that animated parts of the works. The title was coined by art critic Pontus Hultén (1924–2006)—who would support him throughout his career and become a close friend. The prefix méta was then used by Tinguely in many of his works to underscore his intention to go beyond an idea and to emphasize the poetic nature of his sculptures, as they autonomously generate art. With Méta-mécaniques Tinguely sought to transcend the popular perception of machines: while industrial devices typically produce material goods through movement, these pieces, like much of his work, consisted of kinetic sculptures that move without any productive purpose, thus defying the utilitarian function and inviting contemplation on their intrinsic poetry. In December 1954, Italian artist and designer Bruno Munari (1907–1998) invited Tinguely to exhibit a number of works from this series at the Studio d’Architettura B24 in Milan, marking their first presentation to the Italian public.

In addition to movement, sound and, above all, noise become in time an important part of Tinguely’s practice. The first notable example is Méta-mécanique sonore I (1955), a black wall panel where small wire gears and hammers strike everyday objects like glasses, bottles, and tins. The strikes occur at irregular intervals, producing a chaotic and unpredictable sound effect. The Méta-Matics, made in 1959, were among the first sculptures designed to actively engage viewers. These motorized drawing machines are capable of making abstract works of art. One of the most iconic pieces in this series is Méta-Matic No. 17, presented at the Paris Biennial at the Musée d’Art Moderne in 1959, documented in renowned archival photographs of the artist standing next to the machine, enveloped in puffs of steam with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

In 1960, Tinguely traveled to New York City for the first time, where he was captivated by the fervor and chaos of the city. On March 17, in the Sculpture Garden of the Museum of Modern Art, he presented the notorious sculpture-performance Homage to New York (1960), a 7-meter long and 8-meter-high installation consisting of approximately 80 bicycles, as well as tricycles, wheels, a bathtub, bells, horns, bottles, cans, and several motors. As intended by the artist, the machine destroyed itself in just 27 minutes. From then onwards, the spectacular, transformative nature of his work—seen by Tinguely as a way of bringing art closer to life—became increasingly evident in his production. For instance, the exhibition at the Galerie des Quatre Saisons that opened in Paris in May 1960, upon his return from New York City, was preceded by “Le transport,” a parade of his latest mechanical “creatures,” including Gismo and L’appareil à faire des sculptures (both from 1960 and featured in Pirelli HangarBicocca). Led by the artist and a few friends, these works were rolled from his studio on Impasse Ronsin to the gallery in an unusual procession that was promptly halted by the police.

From the 1960s onwards, Tinguely held several solo exhibitions in institutions and museums, collaborating frequently with other artists on art projects, public works, and exhibitions. One of the most famous was “Dylaby (Dynamic Labyrinth),” held at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 1962, which consisted of an exhibition conceived as a labyrinth strewn with physical obstacles, creating a challenging and immersive experience for visitors. The project was designed by Tinguely together with other artists, including Niki de Saint Phalle (1930– 2002)—who had by then become his life partner—Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008), and Daniel Spoerri. During this period, Tinguely began using found objects in his sculptures and installations, including organic elements such as fur and industrial scrap. These works, marked by unpredictable sounds and movements, surprised and amused viewers. This phase coincided with Tinguely’s involvement in the Nouveau Réalisme movement, founded by art critic Pierre Restany (1930–2003) in 1960. Artists in this movement approached reality in new ways, using everyday objects and, above all, the waste and remnants of consumer society into their works. Indeed, it was from an assemblage of scrap metal that Tinguely made his series of kinetic fountains installed in public spaces, including the famous Fasnachtsbrunnen created for the city of Basel in 1977.

In the 1980s, Tinguely’s art reached a peak of noise, grandeur, and color. In 1987, Palazzo Grassi in Venice hosted his most extensive retrospective to date, featuring over 90 installations, including his monumental mechanical, noise, and mobile creations. Among these was Grosse Méta-Maxi-Maxi-Utopia (1987), 17 meters long and 8 meters high, designed to be walkable by the public. In 1988, the artist acquired La Verrerie, an abandoned glass factory covering an area of over 3,000 square meters near Fribourg and Lausanne, which he transformed into the “Torpedo Institut.” Conceived as an “anti-museum,” it was intended as a space to embrace constant evolution, encouraging cross-pollination between art and everyday life. On the occasion of his funeral on September 4, 1991, more than 10,000 people took part in a memorial parade in Fribourg in honor of Tinguely. According to the artist’s last wishes, the procession was led by Klamauk (1979), a sound sculpture mounted on an old tractor with various percussion instruments. Amidst puffs of smoke and exploding firecrackers, it made its way through the crowd gathered to pay their last respects to the artist.

SELECTED EXHIBITION

Many international institutions have hosted solo exhibitions by Jean Tinguely, including Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf (2016); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2016, 1984, 1973); Centro Cultural Borges, Buenos Aires (2012); Henie Onstad Art Centre, Oslo (2009); Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, Valencia (2008); Kunst Haus Wien (2008, 1991); Kunsthal Rotterdam (2007); Stadtgalerie Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria (2003); Städtische Kunsthalle, Mannheim, Germany (2002); Musée Picasso, Antibes (1999); Museum für Kunst und Geschichte, Freiburg (1991); Central House of the Artist, Moscow (1990); Centre Pompidou, Paris (1988); Palazzo Grassi, Venice (1987); Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek, Denmark (1986, 1973, 1961); Museum of Modern art of Shiga, Japan (1984); Musée Rath, Geneva (1983); Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Tate Gallery, London, Kunsthaus, Zurich (1982); Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, Germany (1978); Kunstmuseum Basel (1976, 1972); Museum of Modern Art, New York City (1975, 1961); Moderna Museet, Stockholm (1972, 1966); Centre National d’Art Contemporain, Paris (1971); Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (1968); Dayton Art Institute, Ohio (1966); The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (1965); Kunsthalle, Baden-Baden, Germany (1964). The artist has taken part in numerous group shows, such as Biennale de la sculpture, Yonne, France (1991); Biennale Monumenta, Middelheim, Antwerp (1987); Biennale de Paris (1982); documenta, Kassel (1968); Expo - International and Universal Exposition, Montréal (1967); Expo – Exposition Nationale Suisse, Lausanne (1964); Venice Biennale (1964); Salon de Mai, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (1966, 1964). An entire museum has been dedicated to Jean Tinguely, the Museum Tinguely in Basel, a unique and interactive space, which opened in 1996 and houses the world’s largest collection of his works, many of which were donated by Niki de Saint Phalle.