Julio Le Parc
Continuel-lumière mobile

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Artist Julio Le ParcArgentinean, born 1928

CultureArgentinean

Titles

Continuel-lumière mobile
Continuous light mobile or Unceasing Light Mobile

Date1960–1966

MediumLight, steel discs, nylon threads, wooden mounting frame

Dimensions86 5/8 × 78 3/4 × 11 5/8 in. (220 × 200 × 30 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the 2005 Latin American Experience Gala and Auction, and the Latin Maecenas

Object number2005.321

Not on view

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Department

Latin American Art

Object Type

DescriptionJulio Le Parc pioneered the use of light as an autonomous artistic element. He worked in Argentina until 1958, then moved to Paris, where he met Victor Vasarely. In 1960 with Francisco Sobrino, Le Parc founded the Groupe de Recherche d'Art Visual, which was dedicated to creating interactive optical and kinetic objects and environments. His series of Móviles continuos are mirror-like squares suspended in vertical rows that move with the wind, capturing the fleeting images of the room and propagating the continually changing reflections. Le Parc never fabricates complex apparatuses nor has he relied exclusively on merely technical effects. As such, his works can be replicated by a skillful observer, and Le Parc himself identifies this as a defining conceptual aspect of his work. His objects are neither unique nor are they made by the artist’s own hands. They have been crafted by a team of workers and, for this reason, they are not signed.

ProvenanceThe artist, Paris; sold to MFAH, 2005.
Exhibition History"Inverted Utopias: The Avant-Garde in Latin America, 1920-1970," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 20–September 12, 2004.

"Brought to Light: Recent Acquisitions in Latin American Art," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, August 13, 2005–January 2, 2006.

"Modern Art from the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, December 12, 2007–April 6, 2008.

"Color into Light: Selections from the MFAH Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 13, 2008–March 22, 2009.

"Cosmic Dialogues," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 14–August 23, 2015.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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