Artist Biography
A Brilliant Eccentric of Kinetic Art
Born in Basel in 1953, Pascal Bettex was captivated at the age of 10 by an exhibition of Jean Tinguely. His grandfather and father passed on their gift for creative craftsmanship, and by the age of 16, he had crafted his first mobile. A passionate collector of vintage motorcycles, he loves bringing old mechanisms back to life.
Since 1999, he has dedicated himself to kinetic art, specialising in the creation of whimsical mobiles, often breathing new life into old objects by transforming them into unique forms.
Alongside his manual dexterity, Bettex is armed with boundless imagination, and his greatest joy is seeing the faces of both children and adults light up as they discover his playful works.
Most of his creations are commissioned by clients, requiring him to channel his creative vision towards the final purpose, achieving perfect harmony between the sculpture and its future setting.
In 2004, this Montreux-based artist faced one of his greatest challenges – receiving the commission to design and produce the extraordinary machines for Santa’s Workshop, displayed under the marquee at the Montreux Christmas Market. These six remarkable machines, notable for their size and originality (with the largest measuring 15 metres), enchanted nearly 20,000 visitors.
At work...
he is assisted by...
...a seasonal foreman.
A Passion for kinetic art
(Installing "L'Affûtascie", private collection in Riga, Latvia)