The 17-meter long, eight-meter high Utopia is the biggest, and only walk-on, mechanical sculpture by Jean Tinguely. It is built out of countless, different wooden wheels, disused metal-founding molds from the Swiss company Von Roll AG. They are driven by motors and via transmission belts and set numerous other elements, such as a carousel horse, a garden gnome, or a racing-car’s mudguard in motion. Colorful and apparently chaotic, the individual objects form a harmoniously composed whole after all and enable a multi-sensorial experience. With Utopia, Tinguely built a fantastic world that was designed to delight children in particular.

Detailed information

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Title
Grosse Méta-Maxi-Maxi-Utopia
Category
Sculptures
Artist
Jean Tinguely
Material
Iron parts, wooden wheels, aluminum steps, curtain, carousel horse, clay vase by Ursi Luginbühl, electric motors, and female figure in terracotta, foam-filled with polyurethane and dashed with pink paint, amongst others
Year
1987
Size
810 x 1683 x 887 cm
Owner

Museum Tinguely
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Contact

Museum Tinguely
Paul Sacher-Anlage 1
4058  Basel
Switzerland

Phone  +41 (0)61 681 93 20
tinguelybasel.infos@roche.com
tinguely.ch