Julio Le Parc

JULIO LE PARC (Mendoza, Argentina, 1928).
Untitled. Ondas Series, 1971–1972.
14-ink silkscreen print on cardstock. Copies 92/100 and 92/100.
Publisher: La Nuevo Foglio-Pollenza di Macerata.
Signed and numbered.
Measurements: 34 x 25 cm (x2).
“Ondas” is one of the most significant lines of research developed by Julio Le Parc concerning visual perception, color, and the illusion of movement. Created primarily between the late 1960s and the 1970s, this body of work is closely related to the artist’s other explorations, such as the Surface Couleur and Modulaciones series.Far from representing waves or natural elements, Le Parc’s “waves” arise from the meticulous organization of repeated forms and chromatic variations that generate dynamic optical effects. The work comes to life through its interaction with the viewer, whose gaze and movement trigger visual vibrations, shifts in depth, and sensations of continuous motion.
In keeping with the principles of kinetic art, Le Parc dispenses with expressive gesture and constructs his compositions based on rigorous systems and carefully calculated structures. In this way, he makes perception the true protagonist of the aesthetic experience, inviting the viewer to actively participate in the visual transformation of the work.
A multidisciplinary artist within the field of kinetic art, Julio Le Parc trained at the Prilidiano Peuyrredón School of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, and in 1957 he began working within the abstract tradition. The following year, he moved to Paris on a French government scholarship, where he founded the Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel and joined the Nouvelle Tendance group. In 1966, he held his first solo exhibition at the Sage Gallery in Howard (New York), and that same year he won first prize at the Venice Biennale. In 1967, he participated in a major group exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, and in 1972, the first retrospective of his work was held in Düsseldorf. His work is currently represented in the Tate Gallery in London, the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Proa Foundation in Buenos Aires, the Luis Ángel Arango Library in Colombia, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., among other public and private collections.