Julio Le Parc facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Julio Le Parc
Born	September 23, 1928 Mendoza, Argentina
Education	School of Fine Arts
Movement	Groupe de Recherche d'Art Visuel (GRAV)

"Sphere Rouge" installed at Palais du Tokyo

Julio Le Parc (born September 23, 1928) is a famous artist from Argentina. He is known for his exciting op art and kinetic art. Op art uses optical illusions to make you think things are moving or changing. Kinetic art actually moves! Le Parc studied at the School of Fine Arts in Argentina. He helped start a group called Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV). He has won many awards, including the Konex Award in Argentina in 1982 and 2022. He is a very important artist in modern Argentine art.

Life Story

Julio Le Parc was born into a family that didn't have much money. When he was thirteen, he moved to Buenos Aires with his mother and brothers. There, he went to the School of Fine Arts. He became very interested in new and experimental art movements in Argentina.

Le Parc was one of the first artists to create Kinetic Art and Op Art. He was a founding member of the Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel. In 1966, he won a big award, the Grand Prize for Painting, at the 33rd Venice Biennale. This made him a major figure in modern art history. In May 1968, he was asked to leave France for a short time. This happened because he took part in student protests against big art institutions.

Today, he lives and works in Cachan, France.

His Art Career

Starting Out

Julio Le Parc first became interested in art when he was thirteen. He wasn't a great student in other subjects, but he was amazing at drawing portraits and illustrations. The School of Fine Arts really shaped his early career. He took night classes there while working full-time during the day. Le Parc was especially interested in the new art styles in Argentina, like the Movement of Arte Concreto Invencion. After four and a half years, he left the school and traveled the country. He didn't talk to his family for eight years! Later, he returned to the Academy of Fine Arts. He became very active in student groups there. Julio Le Parc graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts with Luis Wells and Rogelio Polesello.

In 1958, Le Parc received a special grant from the French Cultural Service. This allowed him to go to Paris, France. At first, he focused on painting, engraving, and making monotypes. But in 1959, he started trying new things. He began to experiment with images made by light. He would multiply light using layers of Plexiglas sheets. Le Parc had his first art show, the Bienal de Sáo Paulo, in Brazil in 1957.

Middle Years

When he arrived in Paris in 1958, he met other artists like Jesús Rafael Soto and Carlos Cruz-Diez. They also became friends with Victor Vasarely, Georges Vantongerloo, Morellet, and Denise René. René was an art dealer from France who loved to promote abstract art. She later helped make kinetic art popular. After making these friends and moving to Paris for good, Le Parc started painting what he called Surfaces Sequences. These artworks show forms that slowly change. This creates the illusion of rhythmic movement when you look at them.

In 1960, the GRAV group was formed. Their main idea was to let the viewer be a part of the creative act. The group wanted art to be more active and important in society.

In 1966, Le Parc won the Grand Prize in Painting at the 33rd Biennale di Venezia in Venice. He had been living in Paris for eight years when he received this award. By this time, Le Parc was deeply involved in experiments with light. He created art using light and moving parts inside clear cubes. He also made animated light pieces that shone on ceilings, walls, and floors. He even experimented with light reflecting off a shiny cylinder.

Le Parc cared deeply about human rights. He spoke out against unfair governments in Latin America. In 1972, he decided not to have a big art show at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. He actually flipped a coin to make this decision!

Later Years

Le Parc has continued to use light and movement in his art. For a while in the 1970s, his art wasn't shown as often. It almost went unnoticed around the world for many years. However, people are now very interested in his use of light as an art material again. This has brought his work to the attention of many more people.

In 2004, he worked with Yvonne Argenterio in Italy. They created a series of sculptures called "Torsions." These were shown at an event called "Verso la Luce" in a castle in Italy. A huge sculpture called "Verso la Luce" can still be seen in the castle garden. In 2013, he had a special show just for his art at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. He is still very interested in immersive art. This is art that makes you feel like you are inside of it.

Cool Artworks

Mobil Transparent theme, 1960

Mobil Transparent theme is made of small, clear Plexiglas pieces. They are linked together, looking like a see-through waterfall flowing from the ceiling. This artwork was a highlight at his 2011 exhibition in Miami, Florida. It was placed in the middle of the main room. This allowed people to walk all around it. They could see all the different reflections on a mirror placed right below it on the floor. Le Parc made a new version of this 1960 artwork for the Miami show.

Light in Movement, 1962

Light in Movement is another artwork that plays with your senses. Like all of Le Parc's works, it doesn't tell a story. Instead, it's about what you experience. The piece is made from painted drywall, mirrors, stainless steel, nylon thread, and two spotlights. It's about 42 feet long, 16 feet wide, and 16 feet tall. This artwork is inside a dark, curved hallway. Here, light bounces and bends in amazing ways. You stand below the artwork and watch many tiny, sparkling lights all around the space. This piece was also rebuilt in 2010 for a show at the Geffen. Le Parc and the GRAV group wanted viewers to interact with and experience their art.

Celule Avec Luminere un Vibration, 1968

This artwork is similar to the Mobil Transparent theme. It was also part of the Miami exhibition in 2011. The idea behind Celule Avec Luminere un Vibration is to use light and give the viewer a sensory experience. This piece is from 1968 and is quite large. A projector shines light onto a wall. The light pattern changes in a rhythmic way, making it look like it's vibrating. This artwork was placed in its own room, away from other pieces. This helped viewers enjoy the light and sound experience fully. The goal was to make people feel like they were completely separate from the outside world.

Alchemy 175 and 216, 1991-92

One of Le Parc's important projects is the Alchemy series. He showed two paintings from this series in the 2011 Miami exhibition: Alchemy 175 and Alchemy 216. Each painting in the Alchemy series is named "Alchemy" followed by a number. This number shows the order in which it was made. Alchemy 175 is from 1991, and Alchemy 216 is from 1992. These two pieces are seen as Le Parc's way of honoring the old science of alchemy. They both explore the meaning of water. Water is one of the four main elements of nature. It stands for change, renewal, and cleaning. Le Parc explores movement again in these paintings. He shows fountains spraying water in an umbrella shape. He also uses light to change how the viewer sees the water.

Modulation 1160, 2004

The Modulation series is another important group of works Le Parc has been creating since the early 1970s. Like the Alchemy series, these works are named "Modulation" followed by a number. Modulation 1160 is a work from 2004. Many people think it's one of the best from the Modulation group. The painting is divided into four sections. A ray of light seems to split it down the middle from top to bottom. A structure that looks like an open fan splits it from side to side. The artwork is acrylic paint on canvas and measures about 39.5 x 39.5 inches. This painting creates the illusion that both the light and the fan are moving at the same time. It looks like the light is actually making the fan move. The Modulation series includes hundreds of different works that Le Parc calls his "experiments."

More Artworks

• Images projetées, 1962
• Sol instable, 1964/2005
• Retrospectiva, Instituto Di Tella, Buenos Aires, 1967
• Rubans au vent, 1988
• Lumière sur mât, 1999

Art Shows

Solo Shows

• Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Miami, Florida, USA, 2016
• Serpentine Sackler Gallery, London, United Kingdom, November 25, 2014 – February 15, 2015
• Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France, 2013
• Otra Mirada, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2010
• Le Parc. Lumière. La Habana, Cuba, 2009
• Julio Le Parc et Vertige Vertical. Cachan, France, 2005
• Julio Le Parc - Verso la Luce - TORSIONS, a big permanent sculpture in the garden of Castello di Boldeniga-Brescia (Italy), 2004
• Alquimias. Quito, Ecuador, 1998
• Salle de jeux et travaux de surface. Arcueil, France, 1996
• Obra reciente. Valencia, Spain, 1991
• Modulazioni di Julio Le Parc. Brescia, Italy, 1988
• Galleria La Polena, Genova, Italy, 1979
• Galerie Denise René, New York, New York, USA, 1973
• Kinetische Objekte. Ulm, Germany, 1970

Group Shows

• Flash! Light and Movement. Tampere, Finland, 2009
• 50 años de pintura geométrica latino-americana. La Plata, Argentina, 2002
• Portes ouvertes. Cachan, France, 1994
• I Bienal de Cuenca. Cuenca, Ecuador, 1987
• Arte Programmata e Cinetica 1953-1963. Milano, Italy, 1983
• Brigade International de Peintres Antifascistes. Athens, Greece, 1975
• Kinetics. London, UK, 1970
• Light in Orbit. New York, New York, USA, 1967
• Groupe de Recherche d'Art Visuel. Paris, France, 1960
• IV Bienal de São Paulo. São Paulo, Brazil, 1957

See also

In Spanish: Julio Le Parc para niños