4/12 2018 – 24/2 2019
Curator | Iria Candela, Estrellita Brodsky
Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) | The Met Breuer | New York
The exhibition brings together more than fifty works that focus on a pivotal moment in Julio Le Parc’s artistic development, centering on a group of gouaches produced during a single, highly productive year. The selection highlights a body of work rarely seen together, composed of methodical studies in form and color that reveal a systematic exploration of variation, sequence, and progression. These works articulate an approach to geometric abstraction grounded in repetition and controlled transformation, establishing visual rhythms that suggest movement without relying on mechanical devices.
Alongside these works on paper, the exhibition includes key kinetic pieces produced in the following decade, providing a broader framework for understanding the evolution of Le Parc’s practice. Paintings and installations incorporating light, reflection, and physical motion extend the concerns evident in the earlier gouaches, translating two-dimensional investigations into spatial and immersive experiences. The juxtaposition of works emphasizes continuity in the artist’s research, from analytical studies of perception to environments that actively engage the viewer.
Julio Le Parc (born 1928, Mendoza, Argentina) is a central figure in the development of kinetic and optical art in the second half of the twentieth century. He received his early artistic training in Argentina, where he became involved with abstract avant-garde movements, and later studied under Lucio Fontana, whose experimental approach to space and material left a lasting impact on his thinking. In the late 1950s, Le Parc relocated to Paris, where he encountered artists associated with Op art and geometric abstraction, a context that proved decisive for the direction of his work.
From this period onward, Le Parc developed a practice based on the systematic investigation of visual perception, movement, and viewer participation. His work expanded beyond painting to include kinetic sculptures and installations using mirrors, motors, and electric light, often designed to dissolve the boundary between artwork and spectator. Throughout his career, he has maintained a commitment to accessibility, seeking to challenge the passive consumption of art and to introduce elements of play, instability, and collective experience. The works presented in this exhibition situate a crucial phase of his early research within the broader trajectory of an artistic practice that has had a lasting influence on contemporary approaches to abstraction, movement, and perceptual art.