Jean Tinguely Biography

A renowned Swiss painter and sculptor, Jean Tinguely is best known for his sculptural machines, or kinetic art. His sculpture takes a variety of forms, from early hanging pieces, to monumental works welded together from scrap metal, to a number of public fountains. His machines, working illogically and unpredictably, are like caricatures of the utilitarian mechanical world.

In the 1960s he helped to found Nouveau Realisme, a movement aiming to reassess artistic form and material, along with Arman, César, Raymond Hains, Yves Klein, and other artists.