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Francisco Sobrino (Spanish 1932)
In 1959 after studying in Madrid and Buenos Aires, this Spanish painter and sculptor, settled in Paris and was one of the founder-members in 1960 of the Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel. For several years he experimented with aluminum, steel, glass and Perspex, exploiting their possibilities of reflection and transparency.
In 1966 he began to work with abstract and geometric shapes. Toward the mid-70’s he produced kinetic objects to be handled by the observer. In 1976 he incorporated solar energy into his work and in 1981, he completed a self-powered sculpture. Major exhibitions in which he participated include the Documenta of 1964 in Kassel, Germany and the Responsive Eye at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1965.
Through most of his artistic career he was represented by Galerie Denise Rene
in Paris. This French gallery had a close relationship with many Latin American artists, particularly those dealing with geometric abstraction and kinetic art.
Francisco Sobrino’s art is in major collections and museums worldwide including the Tate Gallery, London and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Gallery Denise Rene's relationship with many Latin American artists began after the publication of "Venezuela," a Vasarely album that referenced the artist's experience with the architect Villanueva and by a Vasarely exhibition presented by the gallery in 1958 in Buenos Aires, Montevideo and San Paolo. This traveling show presented opportunities for numerous encounters with such artists as Soto and Cruz Diez in Venezuela and LeParc and Demarco in Argentina, all of whom eventually were represented by Galerie Denise Rene.
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