Niki de Saint Phalle & Jean Tinguely

Niki de Saint Phalle (1930 – 2002) and Jean Tinguely (1925 – 1991) are reunited in a major site-wide takeover at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, in collaboration with the Niki Charitable Art Foundation. The first exhibition dedicated to both artists in the UK will illustrate Saint Phalle and Tinguely’s visionary artistic output and enduring creative collaboration over three decades. Two emblematic figures of contemporary art, Saint Phalle and Tinguely defied conventional artmaking and were fuelled with rebellion, in both life and art. The exhibition will feature unseen works on paper and art decor by Saint Phalle, alongside shooting paintings and monumental open-air sculptures. Iconic kinetic machines by Tinguely range from the 1950s to the final year of his life, in addition to multifaceted collaborative works made by the duo throughout the 1980s.

Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely met and started working together in Paris, France in the late 1950s and were married in 1971. The pair forged an extraordinary personal and artistic relationship that continued to renew itself across multiple projects until Tinguely’s death in 1991, when Saint Phalle took over stewardship of his works until she died a decade later. The artists’ legacy and work are continued through the work of Niki Charitable Art Foundation and Museum Tinguely in Basel, Switzerland. The basis for the collection at the Museum Tinguely was provided by Niki de Saint Phalle’s donation of 52 sculptures from the Estate of Jean Tinguely, alongside many letters, graphics and archives. The exhibition takes place as part of the centenary celebrations of Tinguely’s birth. To mark this occasion, his innovative and playful oeuvre will be honored internationally with a range of exhibitions and events.