Text by Kaira Cabañas, Hans-Christian von Herrmann, Dominik Müller, Johan Pas, Margriet Schavemaker, Barbara Til, Beat Wismer, Thekla Zell.
Associated with the Nouveaux Réalistes and Zero, Swiss painter and sculptor Jean Tinguely (1925–91) is best known for his whirring, jangling meta-mechanic sculptures, which take up Dada’s mantle in their use of discarded materials and their wit, humor and irony. But this perception of Tinguely as merely a playful kinetic sculptor neglects the more topical, critical, theoretical and interdisciplinary aspects of Tinguely’s work. An extensive monograph on this chronically underpublished artist, Jean Tinguely: Retrospective is the first publication to explore the artist’s work from this perspective.
Tinguely’s machines are built to malfunction or self-destruct, expressing a pessimistic view of human existence and death--and yet they are infectiously cheerful. His meta-mechanics suggest a hobbyist’s enthusiasm for technology, but made out of junk, they also suggest the artist’s skepticism regarding technological advance. Tinguely loved art history, and yet he launched savage attacks on the museum with pieces that are now seminal works of institutional critique.
With contributions from Kaira Cabañas, Hans-Christian von Herrmann, Dominik Müller, Johan Pas, Margriet Schavemaker, Barbara Til and Beat Wismer, this volume presents Tinguely as an artist whose work sustained contradictions and courted ambiguity.
"Baluba XIII" (1961) is reproduced from 'Jean Tinguely: Retrospective.'
STATUS: Out of stock
Temporarily out of stock pending additional inventory.
"I painted and painted and painted… I never managed to finish a picture; it was like I was paralyzed and I hit a total dead end. I just couldn't see the end and didn't know when I was meant to stop painting… So I started working with movement. Movement offered me a way out of this paralysis, offered an endpoint. Movement allowed me to say, 'OK, now it's done.'" This 1961 photograph of Jean Tinguely's 1960 meta-mechanic sculpture, "Le Cyclograveur," in motion is reproduced from Koenig Books' superb, and much needed, new monograph, published to accompany the major retrospective traveling in Europe through 2017. This is the best book on Jean Tinguely, hands down. continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 8.5 x 11.5 in. / 248 pgs / 416 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $45.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $60 ISBN: 9783863358235 PUBLISHER: Koenig Books AVAILABLE: 6/14/2016 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: Out of stock TERRITORY: NA LA ASIA AU/NZ AFR
Published by Koenig Books. Text by Kaira Cabañas, Hans-Christian von Herrmann, Dominik Müller, Johan Pas, Margriet Schavemaker, Barbara Til, Beat Wismer, Thekla Zell.
Associated with the Nouveaux Réalistes and Zero, Swiss painter and sculptor Jean Tinguely (1925–91) is best known for his whirring, jangling meta-mechanic sculptures, which take up Dada’s mantle in their use of discarded materials and their wit, humor and irony. But this perception of Tinguely as merely a playful kinetic sculptor neglects the more topical, critical, theoretical and interdisciplinary aspects of Tinguely’s work. An extensive monograph on this chronically underpublished artist, Jean Tinguely: Retrospective is the first publication to explore the artist’s work from this perspective.
Tinguely’s machines are built to malfunction or self-destruct, expressing a pessimistic view of human existence and death--and yet they are infectiously cheerful. His meta-mechanics suggest a hobbyist’s enthusiasm for technology, but made out of junk, they also suggest the artist’s skepticism regarding technological advance. Tinguely loved art history, and yet he launched savage attacks on the museum with pieces that are now seminal works of institutional critique.
With contributions from Kaira Cabañas, Hans-Christian von Herrmann, Dominik Müller, Johan Pas, Margriet Schavemaker, Barbara Til and Beat Wismer, this volume presents Tinguely as an artist whose work sustained contradictions and courted ambiguity.
