U.K. Exhibit Celebrates Unseen Works By Famous Art Duo

French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle and Swiss-born sculptor Jean Tinguely met and started working together in Paris in the late 1950’s and were married in 1971 until Tinguely’s death in 1991. Yet in all that time, they never had a joint exhibition. Since Saint Phalle’s passing in 2002, there was “Niki and Jean: Art and Love,” in 2006 at the Museum Tinguely in Basel, where Saint Phalle’s brightly colored, sensuous female figures known as Nanas were likened to oversize piñatas. Now the U.K. is hosting its first ever exhibition dedicated to the couple: “Myths & Machines” at Hauser & Wirth Somerset in Bruton, part of the centenary celebrations of Tinguely’s birth.

This presentation encompasses more than 60 pieces—a site-wide takeover of the 27,000-square-foot gallery and its grounds. Featured are unseen works on paper, art decor, and such monumental open-air sculptures as Big Lady (black) by Saint Phalle, whose output combined architecture, nature, and the spiritual world; Tinguely’s “anti-machines,” unusual kinetic sculptures constructed from scrap metal and found materials, including Fountain III, a large motor-driven fountain on display in the lobby that will be activated throughout the summer; and whimsical, often irreverent creations the couple dreamed up together.