Julio Le Parc

JULIO LE PARC (Mendoza, Argentina, 1928).
“500/A” and “504/B,” Ondas series, 1971–1972.
Silkscreen prints on cardstock (2). This copy is 10/100.
Accompanied by a certificate issued by the Fondazione di Paolo, Italy.
Publisher: La Nuova Floglio Polleza di Macerata.
They bear a dry stamp.
Signed and dated in pencil.
Measurements: 35 x 24 cm (2).
The “Ondas” series occupies a prominent place within Julio Le Parc’s explorations of perception, color, and the creation of visual effects. Developed primarily between the late 1960s and the 1970s, it is linked to his other kinetic and optical experiments, such as “Surface Couleur” and “Modulaciones.” In these compositions, Le Parc does not seek to reproduce forms found in nature, but rather to evoke a sense of movement and transformation through the orderly repetition of geometric elements and the combination of different shades. The result is an apparently shifting image in which the viewer’s perception plays a fundamental role. The movement of the gaze alters the relationships between forms, colors, and planes, generating a continuous sensation of vibration, depth, and movement.

In keeping with the principles of kinetic art, Le Parc dispenses with expressive gestures 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.