The Swiss artist Jean Tinguely has become famous for his both funny and profound machines. His motorized gadgets, made of iron plates, wires and all sorts of old object of utility, move only for the sake of motion, at times they even self-destruct. As Jean Tinguely's kinetic sculptures give a new determination to discarded things such as chains of lights, roots and metal, the artist is seen in the environment of the "Nouveau Réalisme".
The machines' impression depends on the choice of materials, so that filigree, colorful and merry machines stand aside daunting dark iron apparatuses. On and off fountains are also a topic for Jean Tinguely, for instance the fountain in front of the Parisian Centre Pompidou ("La Fontaine Stravinsky", 1980/1981), which he designed together with his wife, the artist Niki de Saint Phalle. The unique works by Jean Tinguely, who was honored with retrospectives, among others in Basle and Paris, in his lifetime, can be experienced today in the most renowned international collections.