Blanc sur Noir

Jean Tinguely

A pioneer of kinetic sculpture, Jean Tinguely drew on Dada traditions as he satirized industrial production in his fantastical metal machines. Movement was central to Tinguely’s practice, manifesting in dynamic mobiles, motor-powered assemblages, and large-scale, rotating set designs. Many of his pieces invited audience participation via buttons, levers, and other elements that viewers could push to activate the artworks. Tinguely intended for his famous, enormous Homage to New York (1960) to self-destruct in the Museum of Modern Art’s sculpture garden—it caught fire and attracted the fire department’s attention before it could entirely burn itself out. The artist exhibited widely during his lifetime, creating public sculptures and presenting work at the Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, the Tate, and Palazzo Grassi, among other institutions. His work has sold for millions on the secondary market.