Julio Le Parc, Op Art and Kinetic Artist, 1928–2026
The artist’s passing occurs just weeks before a major immersive exhibition spanning seven decades of his career is due to open at Tate Modern, London, on 11 June
Julio Le Parc, 2022. Courtesy Galería RGR, Mexico City
Julio Le Parc, the Argentine-born artist of both modern Op art and kineticism, has died aged 97. His passing occurs just weeks before a major immersive exhibition spanning seven decades of his career is due to open at Tate Modern, London, on 11 June.
Le Parc is known for his use of light, movement and mirrors to democratise the experience of viewing art and emphasise ‘active’ looking. Politics catalysed much of his practice: after leaving full time schooling at thirteen, Le Parc became involved with Marxism and anarchism in Argentina before becoming a founding member of the activist Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV) in Paris.
In 1968, following a period of social unrest in France, he was temporarily expelled from the country – but not before showing at the Bienal de Sáo Paulo in 1957 and receiving the International Grand Prize for Painting at the Venice Biennale in 1966.
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