| Jean Tinguely, a painter and a sculptor, was born on | | | | In 1960, Jean and Niki divorced their spouses. The |
| May 22, 1925, in Fribourg, Switzerland, to a chocolate | | | | same year, Jean met Arman, Francis Dufrêne, |
| packer. The same year, he and his mother moved to | | | | Raymond Hains, Yves Klein, Pierre Restany, Jacques |
| Basel, where he completed his schooling. In 1940, | | | | de Villeglé, Martial Raysse, and Daniel Spoerri. |
| Jean took an apprenticeship as a shop-window | | | | Together they all formed a group called 'Nouveau |
| decorator and enrolled himself in the evening classes | | | | Réalisme (New Realists).' In the very year, |
| at the Kunstschule. His teacher at the art school | | | | Tinguely visited New York, the then hub of 'Abstract |
| introduced him to the 'Dadaist' collages of Kurt | | | | Expressionism,' and made friends with several leading |
| Schwitters, which left a lasting impression on the | | | | artists there. |
| artist. In 1944, Jean enrolled in the School of Art and | | | | Upon his return to Paris in 1971, Jean Tinguely married |
| Crafts at Basel. During this time, he displayed his | | | | his close friend and colleague, Niki de Saint Phalle. The |
| enthusiasm for electromechanics. He would hang | | | | couple worked together to set up the female |
| various mechanical objects, fitted with electric | | | | sculpture, "Hon," in 1966, at Moderna Museet, in |
| motors, to the ceiling and rotate them at high | | | | Stockholm. Jean's "Machines" was exhibited at the |
| speeds. | | | | Museum of Modern Art (1966), New York; World |
| Jean is famous for his 'Dadaist Kinetic Art,' | | | | Exhibition (1967), Montreal; and again at the Museum |
| 'metamechanics' sculptors. His "Homage to New York | | | | of Modern Art (1968). |
| (1959)," a machine that destroyed itself when set | | | | Tinguely built the sculpture, "Chaos No. 1" in the Civic |
| into motion, is the most illustrious of his works. The | | | | Mall, Columbus, USA, in 1975 and in 1978, completed |
| partially destructed machine is at display at the | | | | first of his series of "Meta-Harmonie." Jean, along with |
| Museum of Modern Art in New York. However, | | | | Niki de Saint Phalle, also created the fountain, "La |
| Tinguely's "Study for an End of the World No. 2 | | | | Fontaine Stravinsky (1981)," in Paris. The artist |
| (1962)" successfully destructed itself in the front of a | | | | continued to create numerous fountains, sculptures, |
| live audience at Las Vegas. | | | | and paintings. 'Nachtschattengewächse' was his |
| In 1952, Jean and his first wife, Eva Aeppli, moved to | | | | last exposition, held at Kunsthaus, Vienna. Jean |
| France. In 1954, he held his first exhibition at Galerie | | | | Tinguely passed away on August 30, 1991, in |
| Arnaud in Paris. Soon the artist was counted among | | | | Inselspital, Bern. Tinguely's humor, allure, and sincerity |
| Parisian avant-garde. In 1955, he met Niki de Saint | | | | won him great popularity, and his 'metamechanics' left |
| Phalle, with whom he developed a close relationship. | | | | audiences spellbound and bemused. |