Kinetic Sculpture, Switzerland by Willi Gutmann

A silver ribbon twists its way up a thin rod, and seems ready to turn at the slightest draft.

This kinetic sculpture is by Willi Gutmann (1927-2013), from Switzerland, and is contemporary work in aluminum and steel. Kinetic sculpture, art designed to move, was a major current in 20th century European abstraction, and Swiss sculptors were among its keenest practitioners. A slender steel rod rises from a round aluminum base. Partway up, thin stacked aluminum plates form a twisting, almost figural column. Higher still, a small coil of plates rings the rod beneath a fine wire tip. It is 31.75 inches high and 2.75 in diameter.

It stands very still, for something with a name like that.