1925-1991. Jean Tinguely, the undisputed master of Art in Movement and an internationally famous artist, has left an indelible trace on Fribourg's artistic heritage.
Known especially for his strange machines producing sounds, lights, noises and sometimes even odours, Jean Tinguely was an artist whose works probably count among the most vivid manifestations of 20th century sculpture. His machines (or sculptures) were built out of opposition to the cult of consumerism. Deliberately imperfect and useless and made with retrieved objects, they are constantly connected to movement, change and the ephemeral and perpetually unfinished character of art.
Born in 1925 in Fribourg, Jean Tinguely grew up in Basel where he lived through the Nazi bombings of 1940. He carried out an apprenticeship as a decorator but soon turned to art, then progressively to sculpture and movement. In 1956, he met Niki de Saint Phalle, who became his second wife. Numerous trips gradually gave his works international influence. In 1991, Jean Tinguely passed away at Berne hospital.