In pictures: Kinetic Op art pioneer Carlos Cruz-Diez dies

Image copyright
Getty Images

Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez has died in Paris aged 95.

He was one of the pioneers of kinetic and optical art whose abstract, often geometric works are on display in many of the world’s leading museums.

Many of his paintings used colour and lines to create a dizzying display which would change depending on the visitor’s viewpoint.

He said that his art “constantly changes because light constantly changes”.

A work by Carlos Cruz Diez displayed at Art Basel Miami Beach 2012Image copyright
Getty Images

He was born in Caracas and studied there but went on to spend much of his life in Paris, where he died on Saturday.

His works can not just be found in the world’s top museums such as the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York but also in public spaces such as the Simón Bolívar airport in Caracas, where his huge murals line some of the walls and floors.

In Los Angeles, visitors heading to the Broad Museum are greeted by a pedestrian crossing designed by Cruz-Diez, who replaced the conventional black and white stripes with vibrant green, blue and orange colours.

In this file photo taken on September 14, 2017 a man crosses a pedestrian crossing painted by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez toward the Broad Museum in Los Angeles, California.Image copyright
AFP

In Liverpool, Cruz-Diez repainted a former pilot ship in a colourful variation of “dazzle” camouflage used in WWI. He was 90 when he got the call to create a design for the ship in a dry dock in the English city.

A picture shows the newly-painted Edmund Gardner, a historic pilot ship placed in the dry dock at the Albert Dock in Liverpool, northwest England on June 11, 2014.Image copyright
Getty Images

A man stands on the deck of the brightly painted former pilot ship The Edmund Gardner at the Albert Dock in Liverpool, northern England, June 11, 2014.Image copyright
Reuters

Not all of his art is on such a large scale however. His 1967 painting Physichromie Nº 321-A measures 95in by 24in (2.4m by 0.6m).

"Physichromie No 321-A" by Carlos Cruz-Diez is on display during a preview of Sotheby's Latin American Art auctions, May 21, 2010 in New York.Image copyright
Getty Images

On the other hand, Chromosaturation, a work exhibited in the Hayward Gallery in London in 2013, spread over several rooms.

A woman admires an art installation by Carlos Cruz-Diez entitled 'Chromosaturation' which features in the Hayward Gallery's exhibition 'Light Show' on January 29, 2013 in London, England.Image copyright
Getty Images

Carlos Cruz-Diez's Chromosaturation installation is displayed as part of the Light Show at the Hayward Gallery.Image copyright
Getty Images

All pictures subject to copyright.

Source link