Jean Tinguely
Bascule (Seesaw)

Bascule (Seesaw)

© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Bascule (Seesaw)
Bascule (Seesaw)
ArtistSwiss, 1925–1991
CultureSwiss
Titles
  • Bascule (Seesaw)
Date1960
Made inFrance
MediumSteel rods and wire, aluminum pulley, brass bell, round rubber belt, and electric motor
Dimensions32 × 18 × 14 in. (81.3 × 45.7 × 35.6 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by D. and J. de Menil
Object number65.17
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 102
On view

Explore Further

Provenance[Alexander Iolas Gallery, Paris]; purchased by MFAH, 1965.
Exhibition History"Tinguely: Meta," Galerie Alexandre Iolas, Paris, December 10, 1964–January 9, 1965.

"Jean Tinguely: Sculptures," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 3–May 16, 1965.

Museum of the Southwest, Midland, Texas, June 16–July 19, 1966.

"Sculptors of the 50s," The Art Galleries, University of California, Santa Barbara, January 6–February 15, 1976; Phoenix Art Museum, March 5–April 11, 1976.

"A Modern Patronage: de Menil Gifts to American and European Museums," The Menil Collection, Houston, June 8–September 16, 2007.

"MashUp: The Birth of Modern Culture," Vancouver Art Gallery, Canada, February 13–June 12, 2016.

"Celebrating Jean Tinguely and Santana," Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte, North Carolina, May 12–September 10, 2017.

"Jean Tinguely and Jesús Rafael Soto," Nancy and Rich Kinder Building Inaugural Exhibition, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, November 15, 2020–ongoing.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Méta-matic No. 9
Jean Tinguely
1958
Round rubber belt, steel rods, painted sheet metal, wire wooden pulleys, two clothes pins, and electric motor
65.16
Sept points (Seven Periods)
Jean Tinguely
1954
Shallow wood box, wood pulleys, round rubber belt, wire and paper attachments, and electric motor
65.22
Suzuki
Jean Tinguely
1963
Structural steel-channel base, steel rod, small tricycle wheel without tire, round rubber belt, and electric motor
65.19
Méta-Malevich
Jean Tinguely
1954
Shallow wooden box, metal attachments, wooden pulleys, round rubber belt, and electric motor
65.14
Méta-Kandinsky II
Jean Tinguely
1955
Wood panel, polychrome wood, metal, wooden pulleys, round rubber belt, and electric motor
65.15
Eos
Jean Tinguely
1964
Steel plate, iron and steel spoked wheels, slant line pulleys, rubber V-belt, and electric motor
65.21
La Bascule VII (The Seesaw VII)
Jean Tinguely
1967
Iron rocker bars, wood fly-wheel, steel tube, rubber V-belt, and electric motor
68.44
Fourrures (Furs)
Jean Tinguely
1962
Sheet steel base, steel rods, fur pelts, horse hair, and electric motor
65.18
M. K. III
Jean Tinguely
1964
Steel, steel pipe section, iron wheels, rubber V-belt, flat belt, and electric motor
65.20
Relief méta-mécanique (Metamechanical Relief)
Jean Tinguely
1954
Steel tube frame, steel wire, painted cardboard, and electric motor
65.13
Moulin à prières (Prayer Wheel)
Jean Tinguely
1954
Steel wire, wood base, and electric motor
65.12
Radio Drawing
Jean Tinguely
1963
Clear sheet plastic support, two radios, two electric motors, electric wires, and red plastic fly-wheel
65.23