WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›Bodys Isek Kingelez

Bodys Isek Kingelez

1948–2015

WA-00012503

Sculpture

Representation

None documented

Institutional Exhibitions

Works in Collection

Assets Indexed

Authority-backed Facts

Publications Referenced

80%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Authority Records (1)

WikidataQ2908459

Selected Institutional Exhibitions

View all exhibitions →

No image

New Humans: Memories of the Future

New Museum

2026

Field Verification (5 fields)

4 cross-verified · 1 single-source

Birth yearArtsy + Duplicate Merge· 85%✓
BiographyDuplicate Merge· 85%✓
Death yearDuplicate Merge· 85%✓
Primary mediumDuplicate Merge· 85%✓
NationalityArtsy· 85%

Source Registry (1)

Artist Index
Tier 3 · Scraped/inferred35%

About

Why this artist matters now

Bodys Isek Kingelez or Jean Baptiste was a Congolese sculptor and artist known for his models of fantastic cities, made of cardboard, paper, tape and other commonplace materials. His work has been presented in numerous exhibitions around the globe, including exhibitions at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the documenta XI in Kassel.

Source: Artist Index · Trust score: 35% · Updated 2mo ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

—

Medium

Sculpture

Related Artists

6 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Art Institute of Chicago New Museum

Canonical record

Artworks (4)

La Tupina Restaurant (Tupiña Resto)

2008 · Cardboard, colored and metallic paper, fluorescent paint, felt-tip pen, graphite, colored and glittered tape, colored mylar, plexiglass, plastic straws, stickers, pins and mixed media

96 × 75 × 41.5 cm (38 × 29 1/2 × 16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

U.N.

1995 · Colored paper, paperboard, plastic, aluminum foil, metallic foil paper, foamcore, pencil, crayon, marker, adhesive, colored tape, metallic tape, fabric, copper wire, toothpicks, map pins, metal pins, and plastic bottle caps

35 13/16 × 29 1/8 × 20 7/8" (91 × 74 × 53 cm), irreg.

Museum of Modern Art

Reveillon Fédéral

1992 · Paper, colored paper, paperboard, printed commercial packaging, wood, plastic, aluminum foil, metallic foil paper, metallic foil cardboard, foamcore, crayon, marker, adhesive, tape, metallic tape, copper wire, coated wire, toothpicks, and pins

23 5/8 × 31 1/2 × 20 7/8" (60 × 80 × 53 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Kinshasa la Belle

1991 · Paper, colored paper, paperboard, wood, colored plastic, metallic foil paper, foamcore, pencil, marker, adhesive, mesh fabric, and metal pins

24 13/16 × 21 5/8 × 31 1/2" (63 × 55 × 80 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Artwork sources (2)

4 published of 4 catalogued · 4 with image

MoMA
3 published3 img
Art Institute Chicago
1 published1 img

Record

Images

Art Institute of Chicago

Artsy

Art Institute of Chicago

Relationships

Collections2

Art Institute of Chicago New Museum

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago

In collection

New Museum

In collection

New Museum

Record

Exhibitions and timeline

Exhibition New Humans: Memories of the Future

2026

Exhibition New Humans: Memories of the Future New Museum

2026