Venezuelan Op and kinetic painter and sculptor Jesús Rafael Soto (1923–2007) is perhaps best known for his immersive installations, which respond to their environments and physically absorb the viewer in a dynamic sensory experience.
The exploration of space is central to Soto’s work. This is evident in his early paintings, of the 1950s, which create the illusion of movement through simple compositions and a limited palette. During the same period, he integrated industrial materials like nylon and steel into linear constructions that were part painting, part sculpture.
But Rafael Soto’s grandest and most enigmatic creations are his “Pénétrables.” Made up of thousands of long clear or colored plastic strands suspended from the ceiling or from free-standing steel or PVC frames, these geometric sculptures play with the perception of space, inviting viewers to act as participants by moving within and through them.
The strips of some of the installations were partly painted, forming shapes when seen from a distance. The Houston Penetrable (2014), at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, for instance, appears to hold a floating yellow ellipse.
Rafael Soto created 25 “Pénétrables” over the course of his career. Each further blurred the line between reality and illusion and established viewers as not just spectators but as integral parts of the artwork itself.
Shop Jesús Rafael Soto's art now at 1stDibs.
Mirroire d'Artiste
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jesus Rafael Soto, Venezuelan (1923 - 2005) Title: Mirroire d'Artiste Year: 2005 Medium: Mirrored Glass and Silkscreened Plexiglass Wall Sculpture, signature and number ...
Metal
Jai Alai Suite
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
JESUS RAFAEL SOTO Jai-Alai Suite: Multiple I, 1969 Plexiglass in white, blue, yellow, screen-print in black, nylon thread and steel. 25 1/8 x 21 1/2 x 7 3/4 in Ed. 15 / 300 Provenan...
Steel
Quadrato
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Jesus Rafael Soto (1923-2005) Quadrato 1974 Editions Denise Rene 46 of 75 Acrylic/aluminum with painted metal rods 17,5 x 15,7 x 12,5 in Signed and dated Provenance: Editions Galeri...
Metal
La Escalera Azul, de la serie Sintesis
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
La Escalera Azul, de la serie Sintesis 1979 Plexiglas and metal Ed 37 of 110 20 x 14 x 5 in Literature: Museo Guggenheim Bilbao. “Soto. The Fourth dimension”. Catalogue published on...
Metal
Petite Vibration Brique et Noir
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Petite Vibration Brique et Noir (1966) Painted wood with a painted metal rod and nylon thread Edition Galerie Bischofberger, Zurich Ed. 16 / 35 20 x 18 x 18 in Provenance: Galerie Elke Dröscher, Hamburg Galerie Meißner, Hamburg (1976) Private collection, Baden-Württemberg Lempertz Auction. Contemporary Art...
Metal
Hannover
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Jesus Rafael Soto "Hannover" 1970 Color silkscreen on transparent plexiglass panel, metal rods on nylon threads. It has the original box. 7 x 21 x 5 in Ed. 170 of 200 Provenance: Va...
Metal
$14,625
MIROIRS D'ARTISTE 3D Wall Sculpture, Mirror & Plexiglass, 20th Century
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Aventura, FL
Mirrored glass and silkscreened plexiglass wall sculpture. Incised artist signature and edition on verso. From the EA edition of 20 (there is also the main edition of 99). Artwork...
Mirror, Plexiglass, Screen
Vibrations Metalliques
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Jesus Rafael Soto (June 5, 1923 - January 14, 2005, Venezuelan) Vibrations Metalliques 1969 painted metal with metal rod with nylon string 10 3/4 x 11 3/4 x 5...
Metal
Anillo Edition Denisse Rene 33 pieces
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Jesús Rafael Soto was a Venezuelan artist known for his kinetic sculptures and large-scale installations. Like Alexander Calder and George Rickey, Soto’s delicate and responsive constructions react to external stimuli and changes in the atmosphere, as seen in his work Penetrable (1990). “Artistic creation is a force which should preferably be directed towards the exploration of space, of the universe, of the infinite realities which surround us, but of which we are hardly conscious,” Soto once mused. Born on June 5, 1923 in Cuidad Bolívar, Venezuela, he studied at the Escuela des artes plásticas in Caracas from 1942–1947 and later served as the director of the Escuela de bellas artes in Maracaibo, Venezuela until his move to Europe in 1950. Settling in Paris, he associated with the Op Art artists Victor Vasarely and Yaacov Agam, as well as members of the ZERO group such as Otto Piene, Jean Tinguely, and Heinz Mack. In 1973, the Museo de arte modern Jesús...
Stainless Steel
$560Sale Price|20% Off
H 15 in W 8 in D 8 in
Sinuosity mini in Absinthe (pop green slick metallic smooth small sculpture
By Ted VanCleave
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Mid sized. Absinthe Green Metallic keywords; #sinuous, focus on material, sculptural folds, Aldo Chaparro, use of common materials, creased crinkled and wrinkled, angular, abstract ...
Concrete
Levitation III
By Rafael Barrios
Located in PARIS, FR
" Levitation III ", 2019 Edition: 18/20 40 x 19 x 8 cm Rafael Barrios, sculptor, and founder of the Virtualism movement. From the beginning, his work...
Steel
Levitation IV
By Rafael Barrios
Located in PARIS, FR
" Levitation IV ", 2019 Edition: /20 + AP 40 x 19 x 8 cm Rafael Barrios, sculptor, and founder of the Virtualism movement. From the beginning, his w...
Steel
Untitled (0393), 2021, colorful, abstract collage
By Linda Schmidt
Located in New York, NY
Linda Schmidt’s fabric sculptures intertwine public and private, luxury and common. There is a sense of egalitarianism present in both the way Schmidt so...
Fabric, Thread, Plastic, Pins
Kusama Plush Pumpkin (Kusama red & white pumpkin)
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Yayoi Kusama Red & White Pumpkin (plush): An iconic, vibrantly colored pop art piece - this Kusama plush pumpkin features the universal polka dot patterns and bold colors for whi...
Nylon
Nimbus Ascendente
By Rafael Barrios
Located in PARIS, FR
" Nimbus Ascendente ", 2015 Unique 69 x 38 cm Rafael Barrios, sculptor, and founder of the Virtualism movement. From the beginning, his work has been ...
Steel
2 +3 = 4, 1981
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Palo Alto, CA
Yaacov Agam 2 +3 = 4, 1981 offers another excellent example of the artist’s ability to induce the illusion of movement through color and pattern. By combining a multicolor palette wi...
Mixed Media
$11,500
H 98 in W 18 in D 30 in
Forest Light - contemporary, hand-blown glass and steel outdoor sculpture
By Susan Rankin
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary, hand-blown glass and steel outdoor sculpture is by Susan Rankin. Susan Rankin’s elegant and colorful hand-blown glass art has been exhibited across North America i...
Steel
$7,076
H 5.67 in W 24.81 in D 4.97 in
YAACOV AGAM - INFINITY TRANSPARENCY. Limited edition sculpture. Kinetic Op Art
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Madrid, Madrid
YAACOV AGAM - INFINITY TRANSPARENCY Date of creation: 2017 Medium: Colored acrylic panels and wood Edition: 45 Size: 63 x 14,4 x 12,6 cm Condition: In mint conditions Infinity Trans...
Wood, Acrylic Polymer
$6,400
H 55 in W 25.5 in D 0.5 in
Pathways of Desire, Contemporary Abstract Tapestry, Textile Wall Sculpture
Located in Wilton, CT
Pathways of Desire (2009) - block printed, manipulated, stitched, heat-set polyester, cotton thread. This contemporary abstract tapestry is by UK-based contemporary textile artist, Caroline Bartlett...
Fabric, Tapestry, Cotton, Thread, Polyester
$1,800
H 12 in W 13 in
Swiss Op Art Mirror Polished Metal Stainless Steel Sculpture Relief Will Weber
Located in Surfside, FL
Willy Weber, (Swiss, 1933-1998) Verchromte Platte Stainless steel sculptural construction, dated 1977, signed to the steel. Dimensions: 12" ht. x 13" wd. Sculpted chrome sheet Hand ...
Steel
$2,200
H 5 in W 9 in D 6.25 in
Agam Silkscreen Judaica Kiddush Cup Signed Israeli Kinetic Op Art Sculpture
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Surfside, FL
This is a revolving colorful kiddush cup with a signed and numbered Agam op art print in it. this includes the base tray. There is no cup insert so it is more of a sculptural piece ...
Metal
Vibrations Metalliques
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Jesús Rafael Soto (1923-2005) was a Venezuelan artist and key figure of Kinetic Art and Op Art, best known for his large-scale sculptures. After completing his artistic training at...
Metal
Sold
H 11.8 in W 27.5 in D 5 in
Serie Sintesis, Mixed Media Op Art Sculpture by Jesus Rafael Soto
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Long Island City, NY
Serie Sintesis Jesus Rafael Soto, Venezuelan (1923–2005) Date: 1979 Screenprint on Plexiglass and Metal Rods Edition of 36/110 Size: 11.8 x 27.5 x 5 in. (29.97 x 69.85 x 12.7 cm) Pub...
Metal
Sold
H 19.69 in W 19.69 in D 4.73 in
Jesús-Rafael Soto - Tes Azules Y Negras - Kinetic Sculpture, 1979
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Varese, IT
Jesús-Rafael Soto ( 1923 - 2005 ) - Tes Azules Y Negras - kinetic sculpture, 1979 Additional information: Material: Kinetic sculpture, edited in 1979, made with Screen printing on t...
Metal
Jai Alai Suite Edition 60 of 300
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Jesús Rafael Soto was a Venezuelan artist known for his kinetic sculptures and large-scale installations. Like Alexander Calder and George Rickey, Soto’s delicate and responsive constructions react to external stimuli and changes in the atmosphere, as seen in his work Penetrable (1990). “Artistic creation is a force which should be directed towards the exploration of space, of the universe, of the infinite realities which surround us, but of which we are hardly conscious,” Soto once mused. Born on June 5, 1923 in Cuidad Bolívar, Venezuela, he studied at the Escuela des artes plásticas in Caracas from 1942–1947 and later served as the director of the Escuela de bellas artes in Maracaibo, Venezuela until his move to Europe in 1950. Settling in Paris, he associated with the Op Art artists Victor Vasarely and Yaacov Agam and members of the ZERO group such as Otto Piene, Jean Tinguely, and Heinz Mack. In 1973, the Museo de Arte modern Jesús...
Metal
Objeto Cinetico Arcay
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jesus Rafael Soto, Venezuelan (1923 - 2005) Title: Objeto Cinetico Arcay Year: 1970 Medium: Acrylic Wall Sculpture, signed and numbered Edition: 2/8 Size: 21.25 x 20.8 x 4.75...
Mixed Media
Biface
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jesus Rafael Soto Title: Biface Year: 1968-1970 Medium: Mixed Media Kinetic Sculpture, signature, title, and numbering inscribed Edition: 92/200 Size: 12.5 x 10.5 x 9.5 in (...
Mixed Media
Homenaje a Humano from An American Portrait
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jesus Rafael Soto, Venezuelan (1923 - 2005) Title: Homenaje a Humano from An American Portrait Year: 1976 Medium: Metal and Wood Sculpture, signed and numbered, verso Edi...
Multiple V from Jai Alai
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jesus Rafael Soto, Venezuelan (1923 - 2005) Title: Multiple V from Jai-Alai Year: 1969 Medium: Painted Wood and Metal Sculpture, signed and numbered on base Edition: 18/3...