This video provides a look into the "Tinguely@Tinguely" retrospective exhibition at the Museum Tinguely in Basel. The exhibition serves a dual purpose: it accompanies the publication of a new, comprehensive catalogue of the museum's collection—the first in 16 years—and aims to present a revised perspective on the work of Jean Tinguely, a key figure in kinetic art. In an interview, museum director Roland Wetzel explains that while the show covers Tinguely's entire career, it specifically focuses on his highly innovative early period from 1954 to 1963. This era includes groundbreaking works like his drawing machines, reliefs that brought movement to abstract art, and his famous self-destructing sculptures. Wetzel highlights "Study for an End of the World No. 2" as a particularly important work, a 1962 performance that reflected the atomic-era anxieties and innovatively used landscape and film as its medium.
Tinguely@Tinguely: A Fresh Perspective on a Kinetic Art Pioneer
0:23 A New Comprehensive Catalogue: The exhibition marks the release of the museum's first new collection catalogue in 16 years. This extensive project, which took two years of dedicated preparation, was necessary to document the collection's significant growth.
1:36 Refocusing the Narrative: While covering Jean Tinguely's entire career from 1954 to 1991, the exhibition places a special emphasis on his highly innovative early period between 1954 and 1963.
1:49 Beyond the "Machine Artist": The goal is to highlight Tinguely's role as a major artistic innovator. The exhibition showcases his early groundbreaking works, including self-destructing machines, machines that create drawings, and reliefs that introduced movement to abstract art.
3:38 A Major Undertaking: Assembling the exhibition was a massive logistical challenge, requiring six weeks of preparation to move and install the large, complex kinetic sculptures.
6:36 Art as Performance and Commentary: The museum director, Roland Wetzel, discusses his favorite piece, "Study for an End of the World No. 2." This was a self-destructing machine that Tinguely detonated in the Nevada desert in 1962.
6:48 Responding to the Times: The work is highlighted not just for its destructive nature but as a powerful commentary on the Cold War and the atomic threat. Its legacy is also notable for its use of landscape and media, as the temporary performance now exists permanently only on film.