It's not all that random

Homage to New York: A Self-Constructing and Self-Destroying Work of Art Conceived and Built by Jean Tinguely

In 1960, MoMA’s Press Office sent a press release announcing, matter-of-factly, “A machine, 23 feet long and 27 feet high, conceived and built by the Swiss-born artist Jean Tinguely so that it destroys itself when set in motion, will be shown in the garden of the Museum of Modern Art Thursday evening, March 17.” Tinguely had been asked to create one of his signature kinetic artworks, and in collaboration with other artists such as Billy Klüver and Robert Rauschenberg he assembled a great self-destructing machine monument to the end of the mechanical age. Once set off, the machine performed for 27 minutes for a crowd of invited guests, after which they sorted through the remnants—including bicycle wheels, motors, a bathtub, and a piano—for souvenirs. Curator Peter Selz remembered Tinguely’s astonishment as he collected material for his sculpture: “He had never seen anything like the junkyards and junk heaps of New Jersey.”                                                                               

Daily Rothko Bonus

Legendary voice actress, June Foray, passes away at 99. She was the voice of Granny from Looney Tunes, and literally hundreds of other animated characters.

Foray’s career in film and TV stretched for 71 years and more than 300 credits, embodying everyone from Magica De Spell to Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honoring her voice work in television.

On July 26, 2017, less than two months shy of her 100th birthday, Foray died at her home in California. . . . .