Cecilia de Torres, Ltd. presents "Kinetic Masters & Their Legacy," an exhibition that takes place in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art’s upcoming show, "Sur moderno: Journeys of Abstraction—The Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Gift."

"Kinetic Masters & Their Legacy" is comprised of a selection of works created by South American artists ranging from the 1950s to the present day. In showing contemporary pieces alongside mid-century modern work, our exhibition provides an account of the trajectory of varied techniques, theoretical approaches, and materials that have evolved across the field of Kinetic Art.

The inspiration for our exhibition was sparked by the moment when, nine years ago in Paris, the three Kinetic masters—Carlos Cruz-Diez, Julio Le Parc, and Luis Tomasello—first saw the innovative sculptures of Elias Crespin. They were in awe of the computer-controlled, motor-driven, floating geometric shapes that the young Venezuelan had created by activating his artworks through technology into yet another dimension of movement.

Our exhibition traces the lineage of Kineticism, paying homage to the mid-century modern masters and their aesthetic legacy upon today’s contemporary kinetic artists. These include: Antonio Asis, Marta Chilindron, Elias Crespin, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Gyula Kosice, Julio Le Parc, Eduardo Mac Entyre, Jesús Rafael Soto, Luis Tomasello, and Gregorio Vardanega—all artists concerned with the aesthetics of perception, optics, viewer-interaction, and above all, movement.