Tinguely Fountain
In 1977 Jean Tinguely created sculptural machines in a shallow fountain where the stage of the old city theatre company once stood, and in the process gifted Basel a famous new landmark.
The Fasnachtsbrunnen was built between 1975 and 1977. It stands on the site of the stage of Basel’s old city theatre, which was demolished in 1975 and replaced by today’s theatre complex designed by the architects Schwarz & Gutmann. The fountain was gifted to Basel by the Migros Genossenschaft to mark its 50th anniversary. The ten figures were designed and executed by the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely and are arranged like actors or dancers on a stage, performing the same spectacle over and over again, though no two performances are ever alike.
With his kinetic artworks, Jean Tinguely (1925–1991) is one of the greatest and most innovative Swiss artists of the twentieth century. Museum Tinguely in Basel holds the world’s largest collection of his work. All of Tinguely’s kinetic works of art require ongoing care and maintenance. «All that is fixed decays – all that is movement endures.» Jean Tinguely
During cleaning on Wednesday mornings, the Tinguely fountain is not in operation.
Kontakt
Adresse
Tinguely-Brunnen
4051 Basel