CARLOS CRUZ-DIEZ
VENEZUELAN, 1923-2019
Carlos Cruz-Diez’s vivid studies of color, light, pattern, and perception helped pioneer kinetic and Op art. The artist drew on the Pointillist techniques of Georges Seurat and the color theories of Josef Albers to produce neon-hued linework and gridded compositions that appear to shift and vibrate. Cruz-Diez made prints, paintings, and installations throughout his career, extending his methods to large-scale and experiential works. He studied art in Caracas, worked in journalism and advertising, then moved to Paris in 1960. In 1965, Cruz-Diez was included in the landmark Museum of Modern Art exhibition “The Responsive Eye,” which focused on Op art. He went on to exhibit in New York, Paris, and Caracas, among other cities, and his work belongs in the collections of the Tate, the Centre Pompidou, the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.