
(Venezuela, 1923- France, 2005)
Jesús Rafael Soto was one of the representatives of kinetic art, having participated in the group exhibition Le mouvement (1955), at the Denise René Gallery in Paris, one of the foundational moments of the style. Throughout his career, he was prominent for the redefinition of the social role of art, grounded upon ample research about the spatio-temporal unity of the artistic object.
Having studied Fine Arts in Caracas, he moved to Paris in 1950, where he joined The Dissidents, a Venezuelan collective of artists that sought to renovate artistic practices back in their country of origin. Even though he has been commonly associated with Op Art, Soto’s work is rather characterized by the continuous study of movement and the dematerialization of the form, producing kinetic constructions in which the active participation of the spectator is key.
In 1958 he began Vibraciones, a series consisting of the overlap, in various levels, of grids and mobile objects that create infinite possibilities of vibrations and variations. Soto achieves the creation of works that are accessible to any and all public, without distinction of age or cultural capital, appealing to the very experience of the subject in relation to the artistic object.
Jesús Rafael Soto
Cuadrados a la vertical, 1976
Paint on wood and metal
154h x 52w x 15d cm
60 80/127h x 20 60/127w x 5 115/127d in
Jesús Rafael Soto
Le carré violet, 2001
Paint on wood and metal
53h x 52w x 17d cm
20 110/127h x 20 60/127w x 6 88/127d in
Jesús Rafael Soto
Gran viola, 1991
Paint on wood, metal and nylon
203h x 152w x 17d cm
79 117/127h x 59 107/127w x 6 88/127d in
Unique
Jesús Rafael Soto
Gran viola, 1991
Paint on wood, metal and nylon
203h x 152w x 17d cm
79 117/127h x 59 107/127w x 6 88/127d in
Unique
Jesús Rafael Soto
Trois Cercles, 1996
Paint on wood, metal and nylon.
40h x 70w x 15d cm
15 95/127h x 27 71/127w x 5 115/127d in
Unique
Jesús Rafael Soto
Maquette de la Sphère Lutetia, 1994-2014
Acrylic and metal
55h x 45w x 45d cm
21 83/127h x 17 91/127w x 17 91/127d in
Edition of 100
InquireJesús Rafael Soto
Vibración en la masa transparente, 1968
Plexiglass structure
24h x 12w x 8d cm
9 57/127h x 4 92/127w x 3 19/127d in
Jesús Rafael Soto
Estela, 2004
Plexiglass and metallic bars
70h x 17w x 17d cm
27 71/127h x 6 88/127w x 6 88/127d in
Jesús Rafael Soto
Cuadrados a la vertical, 1976
Paint on wood and metal
154h x 52w x 15d cm
60 80/127h x 20 60/127w x 5 115/127d in
Jesús Rafael Soto
Color y cuadrados, 1988
Paint on wood and metal
63h x 62w x 14d cm
24 102/127h x 24 52/127w x 5 65/127d in
Unique
Jesús Rafael Soto
Le carré violet, 2001
Paint on wood and metal
53h x 52w x 17d cm
20 110/127h x 20 60/127w x 6 88/127d in
Jesús Rafael Soto
Gran viola, 1991
Paint on wood, metal and nylon
203h x 152w x 17d cm
79 117/127h x 59 107/127w x 6 88/127d in
Unique
Jesús Rafael Soto
Trois Cercles, 1996
Paint on wood, metal and nylon.
40h x 70w x 15d cm
15 95/127h x 27 71/127w x 5 115/127d in
Unique
Jesús Rafael Soto
Maquette de la Sphère Lutetia, 1994-2014
Acrylic and metal
55h x 45w x 45d cm
21 83/127h x 17 91/127w x 17 91/127d in
Edition of 100
Jesús Rafael Soto
Vibración en la masa transparente, 1968
Plexiglass structure
24h x 12w x 8d cm
9 57/127h x 4 92/127w x 3 19/127d in
Jesús Rafael Soto
Estela, 2004
Plexiglass and metallic bars
70h x 17w x 17d cm
27 71/127h x 6 88/127w x 6 88/127d in