Art at full throttle: Jean Tinguely's drawing machine at the Grand Palais
Inventor of machines as funny as they are unpredictable, Jean Tinguely turned mechanics into a living art form. Some of his creations are currently on view at the Grand Palais, in the exhibition Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hulten, until January 4, 2026.
Jean Tinguely, Méta-matic no 17, 1959. Fer et bois peints, papier, encre, latex, moteur à carburant, 330 × 170 × 190 cm, Moderna Museet, Stockholm. Donation des Amis du Moderna Museet, 1965
A machine for drawing and thinking about art differently
After initial trials around 1955, the Swiss artist developed his Méta-matics, funny "drawing machines", in 1959. What does it consist of? Delegate the act of drawing to the machine, in all sorts of configurations, depending on how it is animated.
One of the most impressive, the Méta-matic n°17, is currently on show at the Grand Palais. Constructed from painted iron and wood, and equipped with a fuel-powered engine, it moved forward on its own, unrolling hundreds of meters of paper. On this white ribbon appeared random tracings, immediately cut out by mechanical scissors.
With humor and invention, Tinguely questions what it means to be an artist: can we delegate the creative gesture to a machine? By bringing these sculptures to life, he overturns certainties, transforms creation into performance, and turns mechanics into a veritable poetic language.
Presented at the Paris Biennale in 1959, Méta-matic n°17 has become an iconic work, since conserved at Stockholm's Moderna Museet.
NikideSaintPhalleather shooting session realizedina courtyardinStockholm,onMay 141961,beforethe openingofthe exhibition "Rörelsei konsten" at the Moderna Museet (May 17-September 3, 1961)
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Painter, sculptor and performer Niki de Saint Phalle left her mark on art history with her imaginative, colorful and political creations. As a key figure of the twentieth century, she shook up codes with her monumental creations and uncompromising commitments. Portrait of a free and flamboyant artist!
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