“Believe in change. Do not hold anything fast,” said Jean Tinguely, a rebellious artist who was anti-museum yet has an entire museum devoted to his pioneering audio-kinetic work, in Basel, Switzerland. For all that, Tinguely is not as well remembered as he should be. Next Thursday, Pirelli HangarBicocca, in Milan—a city that once welcomed one of his most flamboyant creations—opens an exhibition that revisits his singular practice, affirms his contemporary relevance, and launches a year of centenary celebrations.
Swiss by birth (1925), Tinguely roamed the world, an itinerant bricoleur whose movements often depended on chance, just like his Rube Goldberg contraptions—each of which broke new ground. Part theater, part performance, the exhibition at Pirelli’s vast former industrial space is organized so that visitors can likewise roam from one “stage” to the next.
