Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hulten

Legendary couple Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002) and Jean Tinguely (1925–1991) were bound by an unbreakable artistic connection and a shared vision of creation as an act of rebellion against established norms.

The exhibition traces the prolific itinerary of these two artists through the figure of Pontus Hulten (1924 - 2006), the first director of the Musée national d'art moderne at the Centre Pompidou, who shares their conception of a disruptive, multidisciplinary and participatory art. Throughout his career, he provided unconditional support to Saint Phalle and Tinguely: acquisitions of works, dedicated retrospectives, cartes blanches and support for out-of-the-ordinary projects such as the gigantic Nana in the Hon - en Katedral exhibition (1966) at Stockholm's Moderna Museet, or the Le Crocrodrome de Zig & Puce exhibition (1977) in the Centre Pompidou's Forum.

Created from the Centre Pompidou's rich collections and major loans from French and international institutions,"Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hulten" allows visitors to discover or rediscover iconic works of these two major artists, carried by an exceptional museum man, along a historical and playful visit where art, love, friendship and commitment areclosely intertwined.

Visitors aged 18 to 25 can enjoy free admission thanks to the "Places aux Jeunes!" operation, in partnership with the Caisse d'Épargne Île-de-France.

Coproduction between Centre Pompidou and GrandPalaisRmn

Curators

Sophie Duplaix, chief curator, contemporary collections department, Musée national d'art moderne - Centre Pompidou

Scenography : Laurence Fontaine