Vera Molnár

galerie linde hollinger, Germany (acquired directly from the artist)

• A quintessential example of the artist's pioneering use of algorithmic composition in acrylic.
• Highly desirable large format offering maximum visual impact.
• Executed in 2015, representing the mature phase of Molnar's 'Machine Imaginaire' explorations.
• The title, 'Autant en emporte le vent' (Gone with the Wind), suggests a poetic dialogue between order and chaos.

This bold, square canvas, executed in 2015, is a compelling and structurally inventive work from the foundational figure of computer art, Vera Molnar. Dominated by a rigorous yet visually dynamic field, the composition features a delicate matrix of horizontal and vertical lines in stark red acrylic against a white ground. The initial grid structure is systematically disrupted, creating a pulsating optical effect where the lines appear to drift, scatter, or be softly displaced, evoking a sense of controlled kinetic energy across the surface. This interplay of geometric austerity and stochastic intervention establishes the work's captivating visual rhythm.

Autant en emporte le vent (160515-B) is a beautiful example of Molnar’s lifelong project: the exploration of visual variation through programmed constraints. As a pioneer of Generative and Computer Art since the 1960s, Molnar uses the computer to introduce elements of randomness or un ordre perturbé (a perturbed order) into a strictly defined system. This piece perfectly demonstrates her mature methodology, where the initial, perfect grid (the 'perfect' starting point) is subjected to a precisely defined, yet unpredictable, displacement function. The resulting work is both rigorous in its mathematical origin and deeply poetic in its visual outcome, showcasing the artist’s mastery of the random walk within a structured field.

Vera Molnar’s significance within 20th and 21st-century art is universally acknowledged, with her work represented in major international collections. The artist has been the subject of several prominent solo exhibitions that underscore her institutional relevance. Notably, her work has been presented in major surveys, including Vera Molnar: Variations at the Musée des beaux-arts de Rouen (2020) and a comprehensive show at the Centre Pompidou, Paris (2023-2024), establishing her legacy as a critical precursor to digital and conceptual art movements.