Odessa
1963
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
scrap, forged iron, wheel, electronic motor, and black paint
Dimensions
overall: 129.54 × 78.74 × 66.04 cm (51 × 31 × 26 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Virginia Dwan
Accession Number
2021.100.4
Art Historical Context
Jean Tinguely's *Odessa* (1963) is a dynamic kinetic sculpture that captures the playful chaos of the artist's signature style. A Swiss sculptor and key figure in the Nouveau Réalisme movement, Tinguely pioneered "metamechanicals"—motorized assemblages that whir, clank, and move unpredictably. Created during the vibrant 1960s art scene, when artists rebelled against static traditions, *Odessa* embodies his Dada-inspired fascination with chance, motion, and the absurdity of machines. Fashioned from humble scrap materials, forged iron, a wheel, an electronic motor, and finished in black paint, ...