Museum Tinguely

The Museum Tinguely in Basel houses the world's largest collection of works by the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely, who is considered an important pioneer of kinetic art after 1950. The building sits in Solitude Park on the right bank of the Rhine and was given to the city by F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. It opened in 1996 and, alongside its permanent collection, presents a varied exhibition program that encourages dialogue with contemporary artists.

Architect Mario Botta designed the building as a "play space" for Tinguely's works. One architectural highlight is the south side facing the river, which serves as an elevated promenade above the banks of the Rhine and draws the eye toward the water. The visitor circuit leads through four differently designed levels, including a gallery-like corridor zone and rooms lit by natural daylight from the side. The ground floor holds the largest exhibition space, which can accommodate up to twenty machine sculptures.

The collection is based on a donation from Niki de Saint Phalle, who left 52 sculptures from Tinguely's estate to the museum. Since then, it has been expanded through acquisitions and further donations and now includes works from every phase of his career. Besides the sculptures, the holdings also include numerous drawings, documents, posters, and photographs, which are shown regularly in the permanent exhibition or loaned out to venues around the world.