Artist of the Day, September 16, 2026 : Jean Tinguely, a Swiss sculptor, kinetic artist (#2633)

Jean Tinguely (1925–1991) was a Swiss sculptor renowned for his kinetic art machines, known as Métamatics, which extended the Dada tradition into the late 20th century. His playful, motorized sculptures served as a satire of modern automation and the technological overproduction of material goods.

Raised in Basel, Tinguely studied at the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule under Julia Ris, where he discovered the work of Kurt Schwitters and other prominent Dadaists. In 1952, he moved to France to advance his artistic career, quickly integrating into the Parisian avant-garde. By 1960, he became an official signatory of the New Realist (Nouveau réalisme) manifesto.

Tinguely achieved global recognition for his performance-based, self-destroying art. His famous 1960 installation, Homage to New York, partially self-destructed at the Museum of Modern Art, while his 1962 follow-up, Study for an End of the World No. 2, successfully detonated in the Nevada desert. His pioneering work fusing kinetic art with assemblage was featured in MoMA’s landmark 1961 "Art of Assemblage" exhibition.

For over three decades, Tinguely collaborated with his second wife, artist Niki de Saint Phalle, on major public installations including Hon – en katedral and Le Cyclop. His significant impact on contemporary art remains highly celebrated. His legacy has been honored through major global retrospectives, including recent exhibitions at Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum, Milan’s Hangar PirelliBicocca, Paris’s Grand Palais, and Geneva’s Musée Rath to mark the centenary of his birth.

© 2026. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Jean Tinguely or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only 

Jean Tinguely

My Milling Machine, 1963

Swiss made, 1955

Gismo, 1960

La Bascule (Bascule Nº. 1), 1960

Orange press "a+b", 1960

Scooter, 1960

Précision, 1962

Fontaine VI, 1963

Honda Nº.1, 1963

Rocker III, 1963

Untitled, 1963

 Scorpion, 1963-69 

Eureka, 1964

Eureka, 1964

Eureka (Detail view) 1964

Eureka (Detail view) 1964

Motor-Cocktail with Wheel, 1966

Chariot MK, 1966-67

 EOS XII, 1967

Matrac (Bascule), 1967

Santana 6/IV, Bascule, 1967

 Large Spiral, 1971-73

Untitled, 1973

Chaos I, 1974

Untitled, 1980-81

Fontana di Trevi, 1981

Untitled, 1982

Fontaine de Jo Siffert (Jo Siffert Fountain) 1984

Kyoto X, 1987