A pioneer of optical or Op art in the 1960s, a historical figure in Kinetic art and the epitome of an anti-conformist artist, Julio Le Parc defined the principles that would guide his approach very early on: a certain critical analysis of the artist’s situation and social role, the endeavor to go beyond its contradictions through commitment and continual experimentation.

In a 21 500 sq. ft area, Palais de Tokyo presents a selection of key works by Julio Le Parc (paintings, sculptures, installations), showing how topical the practice of this 84 years old artist remains. This exhibition is the opportunity to discover or rediscover his generous, playful, visionary work, from the 1950s to the present day.

The ongoing influence of this artist on younger generations, the rediscovery of an art form that preceded the most state- of-the-art technological innovations, and the strength of a commitment that has never wavered make a necessity of this exhibition at Palais de Tokyo, which always keeps as close to artists as possible.

“Generally, through my experiments, I have tried to induce viewers to behave differently (...) in order to find along with the public the means of combating passivity, dependency or ideological conditioning, by developing the capacity for reflection, comparison, analysis, creation, action.” Julio Le Parc, 1995