Jesús Rafael Soto
Encyclopedia
Jesús Rafael Soto was a Venezuela
n op
and kinetic
artist, a sculptor and a painter.
He was born in Ciudad Bolívar
, Venezuela
. He began his artistic career as a boy painting cinema posters in his native city. He received his artistic training in Caracas.
He directed the Escuela de Artes Plasticas in Maracaibo
from 1947 to 1950, when he left for Paris and began associating with Yaacov Agam
, Jean Tinguely
, Victor Vasarely
, and other artists connected with the Salon des Realités Nouvelles and the Galerie Denise René.
Soto has created penetrables, interactive sculptures which consist of square arrays of thin, dangling tubes through which observers can walk. It has been said of Soto's art that it is inseparable from the viewer; it can only stand completed in the illusion perceived by the mind as a result of observing the piece.
From 1970 until the early 1990s, Soto's works appeared in places such as the Museum of Modern Art
and the Guggenheim Museum
in New York City
, as well as the Centre Georges Pompidou
in Paris
.
In 1973, the Jesús Soto Museum of Modern Art
opened in Ciudad Bolívar
, Venezuela
with a collection of his work - a large number of the exhibits are wired to the electricity supply so that they can move. The Venezuelan architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva
designed the building for the museum and the Italian op artist Getulio Alviani
was called to direct it.
Some of Soto's work adorns Caracas' main arts centre, the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex
.
Jesús Rafael Soto died in 2005 in Paris, and is buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n op
Op art
Op art, also known as optical art, is a style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions."Optical art is a method of painting concerning the interaction between illusion and picture plane, between understanding and seeing." Op art works are abstract, with many of the better known pieces made...
and kinetic
Kinetic art
Kinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. Kinetic art encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles.-Kinetic sculpture:...
artist, a sculptor and a painter.
He was born in Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2010, had an estimated population of 350,691....
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. He began his artistic career as a boy painting cinema posters in his native city. He received his artistic training in Caracas.
He directed the Escuela de Artes Plasticas in Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
from 1947 to 1950, when he left for Paris and began associating with Yaacov Agam
Yaacov Agam
Yaacov Agam is an Israeli sculptor and experimental artist best known for his contributions to optical and kinetic art.-Biography:Yaakov Agam was born Yaakov Gipstein on May 11, 1928, in Rishon LeZion, then Mandate Palestine...
, Jean Tinguely
Jean Tinguely
Jean Tinguely was a Swiss painter and sculptor. He is best known for his sculptural machines or kinetic art, in the Dada tradition; known officially as metamechanics...
, Victor Vasarely
Victor Vasarely
Victor Vasarely was a Hungarian French artist whose work is generally seen aligned with Op-art.His work entitled Zebra, created by Vasarely in the 1930s, is considered by some to be one of the earliest examples of Op-art...
, and other artists connected with the Salon des Realités Nouvelles and the Galerie Denise René.
Soto has created penetrables, interactive sculptures which consist of square arrays of thin, dangling tubes through which observers can walk. It has been said of Soto's art that it is inseparable from the viewer; it can only stand completed in the illusion perceived by the mind as a result of observing the piece.
From 1970 until the early 1990s, Soto's works appeared in places such as the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
and the Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, as well as the Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Jesús Soto Museum of Modern Art
The Jesús Soto Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela. It is named after the kinetic artist and sculptor Jesús Soto, who was born in Ciudad Bolívar. As well as showcasing a number of Soto's works, the museum includes art by international artists, particularly...
opened in Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2010, had an estimated population of 350,691....
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
with a collection of his work - a large number of the exhibits are wired to the electricity supply so that they can move. The Venezuelan architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva
Carlos Raúl Villanueva
Carlos Raúl Villanueva was the most prominent Venezuelan architect of the 20th century and one of the great Modernists. He played a major role in the development and modernization of Caracas, Maracay and other cities across the country...
designed the building for the museum and the Italian op artist Getulio Alviani
Getulio Alviani
Getulio Alviani is an Italian painter born in Udine. He is considered to be an important International Optical - Kinetic artist.-Life and work:Since childhood Alviani showed talent for design and geometric drawing...
was called to direct it.
Some of Soto's work adorns Caracas' main arts centre, the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex
Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex
The Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex , also known as Teresa Carreño Theater , is the most important theatre of Caracas and Venezuela, where performances include symphonic and popular concerts, opera, ballet and plays...
.
Jesús Rafael Soto died in 2005 in Paris, and is buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse.