Artist Julio Le Parc, Maestro of Light, Movement, and Defiance, Dies at 97
Franco-Argentine kinetic and Op art pioneer Julio Le Parc died in Paris on May 30 at age 97, days before a major Tate Modern retrospective in London scheduled to open June 11. Born in 1928 in Palmira, Mendoza, Argentina, Le Parc moved to Paris in 1958 with a French government grant and mentorship from Lucio Fontana, later co-founding the Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV) in 1960 with artists including François Morellet and Francisco Sobrino. GRAV’s 1963 pamphlet “Enough with the mystifications” rejected the cult of the solitary genius and promoted collective authorship, and Le Parc also participated in the May 1968 protests by working with the Atelier Populaire to produce anonymous posters. Known for mirrors, motorized light boxes, and interactive works that require viewer movement, Le Parc framed spectator participation as part of a broader political commitment to democratizing experience.
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