Julio Le Parc

Galerie Denise René, Paris
Acquired from the above by the present owner 

This work is in very good condition overall. The colors are vibrant, and the media layer is stable. Two faint horizontal accretions measuring one inch in length are present in the upper right quadrant, in the darkest green segment. Upon close inspection, a few minor pinpoint spots of pigment loss are present throughout the work. Minor, faint scattered abrasions and light handling marks are present along each edge of the frame. Framed in artist frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Argentine-born Julio Le Parc left for France in 1958 after receiving a grant from the French Cultural Service. It was in Paris where Le Parc pioneered some of the most definitive contributions to the Kinetic and Op Art movements. A career spanning over sixty years, his radical and innovative approach to light, movement and perception had far sweeping consequences not only on his direct counterparts in Europe but also on contemporary artists working today.

While Le Parc studied sculpture under Lucio Fontana at Academia Privada de Altamira, it was a chance encounter with Victor Vasarely in Buenos Aires and his eventual collaborations with the Hungarian artist in France, which redirected his aesthetic philosophy and artistic production. Julio Le Parc’s works are rigorous experiments.  Aptly defined by the artist himself, his works “are a series of continuing quests or research inquiries” that rely primarily on the active participation of the viewer.

Relief couleur (Série 3, Numéro 8) (executed circa 1970) is exemplary of Le Parc’s innovative curiosity and experimentation with the possibilities of color. Spurred by an uncompromising analysis of chromatic variation, Le Parc’s Relief series relies on a modulated, sculptural-like surface that interacts with light and shadow to produce the implication of endless movement and evolving forms. At first glance Relief couleur (Série 3, Numéro 8) appears to have a limited and controlled range of the color spectrum—violet, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Careful examination however, reveals a progressive sequence of tonal-color variation resulting in topographic and highly complex shapes.