The exhibition traces the prolific itinerary of these two artists through the figure of Pontus Hulten (1924 – 2006), the first director of the Musée national d’art moderne at the Centre Pompidou, who shares their conception of a disruptive, multidisciplinary and participatory art. Throughout his career, he provided unconditional support to Saint Phalle and Tinguely: acquisitions of works, dedicated retrospectives, cartes blanches and support for out-of-the-ordinary projects such as the gigantic Nana in the Hon – en Katedral exhibition (1966) at Stockholm’s Moderna Museet, or the Le Crocrodrome de Zig & Puce exhibition (1977) in the Centre Pompidou’s Forum.

Created from the Centre Pompidou’s rich collections and major loans from French and international institutions,“Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hulten” allows visitors to discover or rediscover iconic works of these two major artists, carried by an exceptional museum man, along a historical and playful visit where art, love, friendship and commitment areclosely intertwined.