Collection Online of Museum Tinguely


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Jean Tinguely


P. No. 9 Constante totale

Relief stabilité
1959

Material / technique: black wooden panel with 5 variously shaped metal elements, all painted white/ reverse: wooden wheels, rubber belts, metal attachments, electric motor
Size: 76 x 45 cm
Inv.Number: 11115
Catalog: Bischofberger 0130
Creditline: Museum Tinguely, Basel, Schenkung Christoph Aeppli

Tinguely’s reliefs were different from those of other artists right from the start of his artistic career in that they moved automatically. This made the reliefs new and unprecedented – despite their aesthetic kinship with works by other artists. The notion that an abstract composition could continually reinvent itself through ongoing accidental constellations is one that had by no means permeated the visual-arts mainstream in the mid-1950s. Although the idea of accident was served by the Tachistes, what Tinguely made of it was truly avant-garde.

Pictures in our Collection

The following applies for uses of pictures in relation to our collection:
Museum Tinguely does not own any copyright in works by Jean Tinguely or other artists in the collection. The clarification of these rights and payment in respect of them is a matter for the applicant. In Switzerland, the collecting society responsible for this is ProLitteris, Zurich (link website: www.prolitteris.ch). Museum Tinguely undertakes no liability for third party claims arising from infringement of copyright and personality rights.

Collection of Museum Tinguely

Works and work groups belonging to all phases of Jean Tinguely’s career are to be found in the museum's collection. Along with selected temporary loans, they afford the visitor an extensive view of the artist’s career. Apart from sculptures, the collection furthermore comprises a large number of drawings and letter-drawings, documents, exhibition posters, catalogues and documentation such as photographs. In the measure of the possible all the exhibits are accessible to the public and regularly shown, be it in the permanent collection or as loans to exhibitions worldwide.

The museum’s collections are the result of a generous donation by the artist’s widow, Niki de Saint Phalle, made on the occasion of its foundation, a donation of works from the Roche collection, as well as several other gifts and acquisitions.

>> Biography of Jean Tinguely

>> History of the collection