jesús rafael soto_ homage

12 nov - 06 mar_ 2026

Jesús Rafael Soto: homage

This is a tribute to Jesús Rafael Soto (Ciudad Bolívar, 1923 – Paris, 2005), drawing on his longstanding relationship with Galeria Raquel Arnaud, an association that began through Galerie Denise René. The two gallerists worked together, sharing a commitment to promoting Latin American kinetic art internationally, a movement of which the Venezuelan artist would become one of the leading exponents. In the 1950s, Soto turned his research toward the perception of movement on a surface.

Inspired by the scientific advances of his time, Soto explored new pictorial possibilities that could convey meaning beyond the static. Through his formal investigations, space acquired a presence in Soto’s works through the use of detached elements, chromatically superimposed and arranged in repetitive patterns. Without the need for mechanical devices, these layers created effects of distance and visual doubling, while generating a dynamic perception through optical illusions that shifted according to the viewer’s position.

By extending beyond the picture plane, Soto incorporated the time spent viewing the work as one of its materials, establishing an artistic condition in which the relationship between the artwork and the viewer became an integral part of the aesthetic experience. Rods, cubes, Plexiglas, and nylon threads allowed Soto to introduce a degree of permeability into geometric abstraction that had rarely been explored until then.

The idea of bringing art into life, one of the central concerns of kinetic art, also found expression in efforts to bring the artwork closer to the public through the work of Denise René and Raquel Arnaud. Pioneers in recognizing the significance of movement, as well as the importance of Soto’s artistic production, the two gallerists played key roles in shaping this trajectory at two distinct moments: in 1955, René organized the first group exhibition in Europe to include the artist, while in 1986, Arnaud began representing his work in Brazil. Seventy-one and forty years after these respective milestones, Galeria Raquel Arnaud brings together works created between 1969 and 1995, continuing a history shaped by the artist and the galleries that championed his work.

Marina Schiesari, October 2026