It could have been a really spectacular work of art: When the Konstablerwache was redesigned and given a pedestal, they wanted the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely to build one of their fountains there.

For a long time, the Frankfurt cultural department head Hilmar Hoffmann and Hans-Erhard Haverkamp, ​​who was building department at the time, pleaded with Tinguely to create a work of art for Frankfurt.

When they finally got that far, the Swiss suggested a macabre, sensual “dance of death”: Tinguely, probably the best-known representative of kinetic art, wanted to put a herd of skeletonized steel cattle in a water basin on the square on the Zeil.

But then the artist suddenly fell ill.

His plans never became a reality.

Alexander Juergs

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Now, however, a well made by the Swiss who died in 1991 is still coming to Frankfurt. However, only for two days, on a ship that has been converted into a museum, which will stop on Wednesday and Thursday on the banks of the Main, at the height of the Nice Garden, on the inner city side. On the deck of the ship you can then marvel at Tinguely's “swimming water sculpture” from 1980. The work of art is fed with water from the Main. Four water jets driven by a motor move up and down, back and forth - the water dances in the air, the machine creates a ballet.

You can usually find the “swimming water sculpture” christened fountain sculpture in Basel.

There she stands in front of the Tinguely Museum, which is reminiscent of the artist who grew up in the Gundeldingen district in the south of the city.

Tinguely also trained as a decorator in Basel and took his first small steps as an artist before he moved to Paris, where his career took off.

The museum dedicated to him in Basel is celebrating an anniversary this summer: it opened 25 years ago.

This will be celebrated with a cruise through Europe, from Paris, where the museum ship began its passage in July, to Basel.

The boat stops at places that played an important role in Tinguely's career.

Frankfurt was chosen because the Städelmuseum dedicated a large, highly regarded exhibition to the artist in 1979.

On board, in the hull of the ship, an exhibition tells of the fascinating art of the Swiss.

There you can see and try out models of his moving sculptures, such as the drawing machine “Méta-Matic No.

17 ”, which Tinguely presented at the first Biennale de Paris in 1959.

Visitors can make music themselves using a model of the sound sculpture “Mes étoiles - Concert pour sept peintures”, for which Tinguely used found objects made of glass, sheet metal and aluminum.

The art machine can be made to sound via a console.

Contemporary works are also performed

Contemporary works will also be performed on Thursday.

The artists Nevin Aladag, Keren Cytter and Marie-Caroline Hominal have each developed a performance for the Tinguely anniversary in which they deal with the Swiss artist's art.

Her pieces are shown in the vicinity of the ship and in the Frankfurter Kunstverein am Römerberg.

For both exhibitions and performances, you have to register because of the existing Corona rules, the number of visitors on the boat is limited.

The free time slot tickets can be booked on the website www.mtahoy.com, where you can also find out some details about the exhibition and program as well as Jean Tinguely's career.

A place can be reserved for the performances in the Kunstverein by email to post@fkv.de.