Eusebio Sempere facts for kids

Eusebio Sempere Juan (born April 3, 1923 – died April 10, 1985) was a famous Spanish artist. He was a sculptor, painter, and graphic artist. He is best known for his amazing abstract geometric artworks. Sempere is considered one of Spain's most important artists in the Kinetic art movement. He used repeating lines and bright colors to make light play on his art. This gave his paintings a wonderful sense of depth.

About Eusebio Sempere

Sempere was born in Onil, a town in Alicante, Spain. He started his art studies at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos de Valencia. There, he learned painting, drawing, and different ways to make prints. Because of a childhood illness, he could barely see with his right eye.

In 1948, Sempere moved to Paris, France, to continue his studies. He met many important artists there, like Palazuelo and Chillida. He was also inspired by famous artists like Kandinsky and Klee. In Paris, he learned a lot from the artist Braque. He also got much better at a printing method called screen printing, which he used often later on.

In 1955, art experts noticed his work at the Denise Rene Gallery. The next year, he showed two pieces at a big art show in Paris. He was very impressed by the ideas of Vasarely about kinetic art. Kinetic art is art that moves or seems to move. While in Paris, he also became friends with Nina Kandinsky, the wife of the painter Kandinsky.

Sempere returned to Spain in 1959 and moved to Valencia. There, he joined a group of artists called Group Parpalló. This group wanted to bring new ideas to art and culture in Valencia. They published a magazine and held art shows together.

In 1964, Sempere received a special grant called a Ford Foundation fellowship. This allowed him to travel to the United States. He had an art show in New York and displayed his work at the World’s Fair.

In 1968, Sempere did something very new. He worked at a computer center in Madrid. He used computers to create art, which was very advanced for his time. He continued to experiment with computer art, becoming a pioneer in Spain.

He kept showing his art at the Denise Rene Gallery in Paris. He also helped with some important public art projects. One famous example is the sculptures and railings at the Museo Esculturas al Aire Libre (Museum of Outdoor Sculpture) in Madrid. Sempere convinced his artist friends, like Pablo Serrano, Miró, and Chillida, to donate their artworks. His own "cascade" sculpture is a main part of this outdoor museum. His work in the gardens of the Fundación Juan March in Madrid is also very well-known.

Sempere received many awards for his art. In 1980, he won the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts. In 1983, he received the important Prince of Asturias Prize for the Arts. He was also honored by his hometown of Alicante and given an honorary doctorate by the University. Eusebio Sempere passed away in April 1985 in Onil, Alicante, after a long illness.

Sempere's Artworks

Sempere's art is known for its abstract shapes, repeating patterns, and straight lines. His style combined Op Art and constructivism with elements of kinetic art. Op Art uses optical illusions to make art seem to move or vibrate. Constructivism focuses on geometric shapes and industrial materials.

Móvil. 1972, Museo de Escultura al Aire Libre de Madrid.

Sempere's unique contribution to kinetic art was creating geometric art that tricks your eyes. It makes you feel like the art is moving or vibrating. Light was also very important in his art. He used light as a main element to make his creations look balanced and beautiful. His paintings often look like flat surfaces where he plays with light, colors, and shades. He used optical effects to create interesting shapes that repeat.

Sempere worked with many different materials. He made drawings, gouaches (a type of paint), oil paintings, and silk screen prints. He also created sculptures from iron and stainless steel.

You can see two of his works at the Museum of Outdoor Sculpture in Madrid. He designed the blue rails there, which create a cool moiré pattern as you walk by them. He also loaned a mobile sculpture to the museum.

The Alicante Museum of Contemporary Art (MACA) holds a large collection of 20th-century art. Sempere donated this collection to the city in 1978. It includes works by many famous Spanish artists from the 1950s. The museum also has over 500 pieces by other Spanish and international artists. These include works by Dalí, Picasso, Miró, Kandinsky, and Chagall. The collection also shows all the different stages of Sempere's own art career.

Sempere's outdoor sculpture made of metal rods at the Juan March Foundation in Madrid even inspired two Spanish scientists. They developed a new way to reduce noise. They realized that the way Sempere arranged the rods might help block sound waves.

Exhibitions

• 1949: Exhibition at Mateu Art Gallery, Valencia
• 1961: First exhibition in Madrid in the Ateneo
• 1965: Exhibited in Madrid in Juana Mordót Gallery
• 1972: Exhibition at the Egam Gallery in Madrid
• 1975: Exhibition at Rayuela Gallery in Madrid
• 1980: Retrospective exhibition organized by the Ministry of Culture
• 1985: Show of his graphic work 1946-1982, Banco de Bilbao, Bilbao
• 1998: Retrospective exhibition at the IVAM, Valencia
• 2018: Retrospective exhibition at Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid

Museums with Sempere's Art

• Valencian Institute of Modern Art IVAM, Valencia
• Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid
• Modern Art Museum of Barcelona
• Abstract Art Museum of Cuenca
• Fogg Museum, Harvard University, USA
• Museum of Modern Art MOMA, New York
• Museum of Hamburg, Germany
• Fundación Juan March, Madrid
• MUA, Museum of the University of Alicante
• Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante (MACA)
• Coleccion Masaveu, Spain

Awards and Honors

• 1964: Ford Fellowship International Institute of New York
• 1980: Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, Ministry of Culture, Madrid
• 1983: Prince of Asturias Prize for the Arts
• 1983: Prize Alfons Roig, Council of Valencia

See also

In Spanish: Eusebio Sempere para niños