Cruz Diez

The artist Carlos Cruz-Diez is a member of the Op Art movement whose work focuses on the kinetic energy of colour. Born on 17 August 1923 in Caracas, Venezuela, he travelled to Paris, where he became interested in the colours of the European countryside, which were different from those of his native country. On his return to Caracas, he opened a studio and began to study optical and kinetic art forms, particularly the former, which became a movement in Caracas thanks to artists such as Jesus Rafael Soto and Alejandro Otero. Cruz-Diez's work is based on the moiré effect, in which lines of contrasting colours give an impression of movement, as demonstrated in the Physiochrome series. He taught kinetic technique for a time at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris and then worked as artistic director of the Institut des études avancées in Caracas. In 1997, his hometown honoured him by opening the Carlos Cruz-Diez Print and Design Museum.