RIP – François Morellet, Pioneer of Optical and Kinetic Art, at the Age of 90

May 12th, 2016

Francois Morellet, via Art Newspaper
Francois Morellet, via Art Newspaper

François Morellet, the pioneering French artist who explored interrelations of optical phenomena, light, space and performance, has passed away at the age of 90.  

Francois Morellet, Rococoncret n°2 (2011), via Kamel Mennour
Francois Morellet, Rococoncret n°2 (2011), via Kamel Mennour

Born in Cholet, France, in 1926, Morellet first branched out into painterly abstraction during the 1950’s, and later expanded his practice further with the founding of Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (Grav), which based its practice on investigations of space and perception through “visual aggression.”  Expanding on this practice over the following decades, the artist would define his work through the use of bright neon tubes, which he would arrange in increasingly complex and surreal pieces, and which has earned comparisons to the American Light and Space artists.

Francois Morellet, Triple X neonly (2012), via Kamel Mennour
Francois Morellet, Triple X neonly (2012), via Kamel Mennour

Morellet is considered among the most influential artists of the Post-War Era in France, and just recently concluded a major career retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in 2011.

— D. Creahan

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