Joao Iglésias Biography

Venezuela, 1923 - 2005

Well known Venezuelan artist who works in Kinetic Art style.

Energy is one of the elements most eye-catching in Soto's work, especially his experimentation with visual effects, a key feature of Kinetic Art.

His early work consists of a transition from Mondrian's traditional abstraction techniques to a more fluid expression that Soto uses in a later stage. There is a clear influence of Mondrian's balance of lines and composition on Soto's work, but Soto is determined to develop his own original style, totally independent from the natural world. Soto works with identical and multipliable elements to achieve an effect of total anonymity, removing it from subjective art.

Soto's work surpasses the mere exploitation of visual effects and presents a concentration of energy where his images become, amidst a mental strain, a mirage. When Soto first came in contact with Kinetic Art in 1955 he was beginning to create superimpositions in Plexiglas.* * Soto's paintings began having sculptural qualities when he decided to add wires and metal bars on the background of paintings. This background interacts with these elements and seems to fight with them. Soto's work awakes the viewer's perception

Individual Exhibitions (Selection)

1962

Galerie Ad Libitum, Amberes, France.

Galerie Edouard Loeb, Paris, France.

1963

Haus Lange Museum, Krefeld, Germany.

1964

Galerie Muller, Stuttgart, Germany.

1965

Kootz Gallery, New York, United States.

Galerie Edouard Loeb, Paris, France.

Signals, London, England.

1966

Galerie Schmela, Dusseldorf, Germany.

Galleria del Navigho, Milan, Italy.

Kootz Gallery, New York

Galleria del Deposito, Genoa, Italy.

Centre de l'Art Vivant, Trieste, Italy.

Pfalzgalerie, Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Galeria del Cavallino, Venice, Italy.

1967

Galerie Denise Rene, Paris, France.

1968

Galerie Francoise Mayer, Brussels, Belgium.

Kunsthalle, Bern, Sweden.

Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hanover, Germany.

Stedelijk Museum, Ã?msterdam, Holland.

Marlborough Galleria d'Arte, Rome, Italy.

Kunstverein fur die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Dusseldorf, Germany.

1969 Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium.

Galleria Lorenzelli, Bergamo, Italy.

Galleria Notizie, Turin, Italy.

Galleria del Navigho, Milan, Italy.

Galleria Flori, Florence, Italy.

Galleria Giraldi, Livorno, Italy.

Estudio Actual, Caracas, Venezuela

Musee d'Art Moderne de Ia VIIIE de Paris, France.

Svensk-Franska Kunstgalleriet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Marlborough Gerson Gallery, New York, United States.

1970

Galerie Suvremene Umietnosti Zagreb, Yugoslavia

Kunstverein, Mannheim, Germany.

Museum of Ulm, Germany.

Galerie Denise Rene, Paris, France.

Galerie Bonnier, Genova, Italy.

Galerie Godart Leffort, Montreal, Canada.

Galerie Semiha Huber, Zurich

Galerie Buchholz, Munich, Germany.

1971

Museum of Modern Art, Chicago, United States.

Kunstverein, Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Galerie Denise Rene, Dusseldorf, Germany.

Galerie Denise Rene, Dusseldorf, Germany.

Galleria Rotta, Milan, Italy.

Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela.

Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, United States.

1972

Galerie Beyeler, Basilea, Switzerland.

Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Galleria Levi, Milan, Italy.

Estudlo Actual, Caracas, Venezuela

Formes dt Muraux, Lyon, France. 1973

Galleria Corsini, Roma, Italy.

Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas

Galeria Arte/Contacto, Caracas, Venezuela

Estudio Dos, Valencia, Venezuela

Galeria Godel, Rome, Italy

1974

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, United States.

Galeria Arte/Contacto, Caracas, Venezuela

Galeria Denise Rene, New York, United States.

1975

Joseph Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, United States.

Galeria Arte/Contacto, Caracas, Venezuela

Work in Museums and Collections

Moderna Musset Stockholm, Sweden.

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld, Germany.

Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela

Museu de Arte Moderna, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Tate Gallery, London, England.

Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium.

Fundacion Kaiser, Cordoba, Argentina

Riikmuseum Kroller. Colo Norway.