Julio Le Parc

Argentinian artist resident in Paris. Born at Mendoza in the Argentine. Studied at the School of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires; became interested in the group Arte Concreto-Invención and Fontana's Spazialismo movement. Went to Paris with Sobrino in 1958 on a French government scholarship and settled there. In reaction against tachisme, took as starting-point the work of Vasarely, the writings of Mondrian and the tradition of Constructivism; began in 1959 to make geometrical abstract paintings based on predetermined systems, first in black and white, then in colour. Co-founder with Morellet, Sobrino, Yvaral and others of the Groupe de Recherche d'Art Visuel 1960. In 1960 made his first reliefs and his first 'Continual Mobiles', carrying his research into three dimensions, and introducing movement and light. Further types of light work from 1962 incorporating moving projected or reflected lights, pulsating lights etc., and from 1964 works based on distorting mirrors, the displacement of the spectator and so on. Increasing interest in the active involvement of the spectator by means of labyrinths, play rooms, etc. First one-man exhibition at the Howard Wise Gallery, New York, 1966 and was awarded the main painting prize at the 1966 Venice Biennale. Lives in Paris.

Published in:
Ronald Alley, Catalogue of the Tate Gallery's Collection of Modern Art other than Works by British Artists, Tate Gallery and Sotheby Parke-Bernet, London 1981, p.424