Jean Tinguely

The Swiss painter and sculptor Jean Tinguely (1925 - 1991) is undoubtedly one of the most important Swiss artists of the 20th century. As part of the Parisian avant-garde and as one of the most important representatives of kinetic art, the exceptional artist caused a sensation, especially with his machine-like sculptures. But Tinguely avoided stagnation not only in his art, but also in his exciting life, which twenty years after his death is now traced in an interesting and entertaining documentary by Thomas Thümena. Some of Tinguely's friends and contemporaries have their say, recalling the life and work of this unconventional man. From his beginnings to his first marriage with Eva Aeppli, his rise in the art scene, his second marriage with the artist Niki de Saint Phalle and his great successes, the film paints a fairly chronological and comprehensive picture of Tinguely, which is never too dry or factual, but always very engaging and exciting.

This is also due to the fact that Thümena had a lot of archive material at his disposal, which sometimes offers an almost intimate insight into the artist's working methods. There is, for example, old home video footage of the first construction phase of the sculpture Der Zyklop (The Cyclops), assembled from scrap metal and sheet metal, which Tinguely began building in 1969 and which was not completed until 1991. These images, together with the interviews, make it clear to viewers who have not yet dealt with Jean Tinguely and his works how this artist worked and what significance he had and still has for the art world. Especially the home video footage, photos and old interviews with Tinguely make his works almost tangible, which keeps the interest of the viewers until the end.

Jean Tinguely is an entertaining artist biography, which at the same time also shows very vividly how the life of a man is reflected in his art, how closely the man and the artist Jean Tinguely were connected. For art lovers and anyone interested in portraits of interesting people, this documentary is well worth a visit. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp