See the fruits of Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely's creative and romantic union at Hauser & Wirth Somerset

Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely were both immensely influential artists in their own right. Saint Phalle’s sprawling sculptural practice saw her build a famous tarot garden in Tuscany, with her work often focusing on robust, divine figures. Tinguely’s kinetic sculptures offered a satirical view on automation and technical production, long before our contemporary fears of social media and iPhone addiction took hold. This month, Hauser & Wirth in Somerset is housing the first UK exhibition to celebrate the magic of their creative and romantic union, featuring collaborative pieces that bring their seemingly disparate practices together. ‘Myths & Machines’ covers three decades of work, including unseen drawings and furniture by Saint Phalle.

‘The show is intimate,’ says Bloum Cardenas, Saint Phalle’s granddaughter and a trustee of The Niki Charitable Art Foundation. ‘There are drawings and letters from Niki to Jean. It shows some parallels between their work that are not expected or often focused on. Their playfulness is there… also, their megalomania!’ She highlights how important it is that this creative union is being explored within Hauser & Wirth’s rural setting in Somerset. The couple met in the 1950s and married in 1971, purchasing a farmhouse that they lived and worked in. ‘They had this relationship to nature and a connection with the land art movement that is not discussed enough as an influence on both of them,’ says Cardenas.

She notes that their differences complemented each other, while they also shared ideas and happily assisted one another when needed. ‘They were totally in opposition, in contrast. I think that’s why they were able to do collaborative works,’ she says. ‘They were all about art. They had an intense form of love to begin with that was very passionate, but they loved each other in a pretty unique way through their lives.’ Across the show, Cardenas says, ‘their humour, love, and competition’ is in evidence.

The exhibition’s title highlights their combination of ancient and futuristic influences, the coming together of ancient myth and innovative machine. Cardenas describes Tinguely’s work as highly political, touching on decolonisation and the power of reusing junk. ‘Rebellion is a form of poetry,’ she says. ‘Difficult times create the potential for radical poetry, and I think his work really does that. It resonates today when we need it. This sense of freedom is so relevant for our relationship now with machines. They’re meant to help our lives but it’s the other way around.’

Saint Phalle’s work is also pertinent, as the art world revisits the power of tarot and the occult. Art was also a way for her to address early trauma. She was pushed into her first marriage at a young age, feeling trapped to fit society’s demands. Cardenas says the artist was made to grow up too soon. ‘Niki was really into fairytales,’ she says. ‘They help understand the world as we move from children into adults.’ After leaving her marriage, Saint Phalle embraced a bohemian lifestyle, with art as her central drive. ‘It gave her total freedom from her family and expectations,’ says Cardenas. ‘Art was her life, it was her god, it’s all she breathed. It was her reason for being.’

She also notes that Saint Phalle’s works are all in their original state. As a rule, they are not regularly restored, and show some signs of cracking. ‘You have a pure, authentic experience. Imperfection is reality, and perfection is death.’ Across the exhibition, both artists and their passionate creative union are shown to be ahead of their time. From female freedom to the growing oppression of machines, Saint Phalle and Tinguely touched on issues that still urgently drive our world in the 21st century. As Cardenas tells me, ‘They really are better understood today by younger generations.’

‘Myths & Machines’ is at Hauser & Wirth Somerset until 1 February 2026