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.
Serie Madrid B, 1990
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Jesus Soto (1923-2005) Serie Madrid B, 1990 Denise Rene Editeur, Paris (with Denise Rene's blind-stamp) Screen print in heavy paper 59 x 45.3 in (150 x 115 cm) Professionally framed...
Screen
Untitled (From the Sotomagie Portfolio), 1967
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Untitled (From the Sotomagie Portfolio), 1967 Denise Rene Editeur, Paris Based on Soto's Work Rotation, 1952, Oil on Plywood Silkscreen 23 7/8 x 23 7/8 in (60.5 x 60.5 cm) Editioned ...
Lithograph
Red virtual square on the right
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Paris, FR
Silksreen, 1981 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 83/190 Catalog : [Prent 190] 60.00 cm. x 60.00 cm. 23.62 in. x 23.62 in. (paper) 46.00 cm. x 53.00 cm. 18.11 in. x 2...
Silk
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
Composition 1996
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Composition 1996 Silkscreen in colors on Arches paper 21.7 x 29.5 in (55 x 75 cm) Editioned upper left and signed upper right Edition of 99 Jesús Rafael Soto was born on June 5, 19...
Lithograph
Untitled (From the Sotomagie Portfolio), 1967
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Untitled (From the Sotomagie Portfolio), 1967 Denise Rene Editeur, Paris (Based on Soto's Work Répétition et Progression, 1951, Oil on Plywood) Silkscreen 23 7/8 x 23 7/8 in (60.5 x ...
Lithograph
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
Untitled
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Paris, FR
Silksreen, 1970 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 63/145 70.00 cm. x 50.00 cm. 27.56 in. x 19.69 in. (paper) 44.30 cm. x 44.50 cm. 17.44 in. x 17.52 in. (image) The V...
Silk
Caroni
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in New York, NY
Color screenprint on heavy white wove paper, 1971. Signed by the artist in pencil, lower right. Numbered 146/175 in pencil, lower left. Published by Denise René and Hans Meyer, Pa...
Screen, Color
Ovalo Verde, OP Art Kinetic Screenprint by Jesus Rafael Soto
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jesus Rafael Soto, Venezuelan (1923 - 2005) Title: Ovalo Verde Year: 1980 Medium: Screenprint on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 150, AP 25 Paper Size: 22 in. ...
Screen
Composition 1
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Paris, FR
Silksreen, 1973 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 69/95 Publisher : Malbotough Graphics, New York 80.00 cm. x 80.00 cm. 31.5 in. x 31.5 in. (paper) 65.00 cm. x 65.00...
Silk
$14,625Sale Price|25% Off
MIROIRS D'ARTISTE (3D WALL SCULPTURE)
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
Jesús Rafael Soto (1923–2005) - Spiral - Silkscreen on paper - 1980
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Varese, IT
Silkscreen on paper, edited in 1980. Limited edition of 125 pieces, numbered as 34/125 in lower left corner. Signed in pencil by artist in lower right corner. Paper size: 68 x 68 cm...
Screen
Untitled
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Jesus Rafael Soto “Untitled” Lithograph Ed. 63 of 120 29 x 23 in
Lithograph
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
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
Expo 60 - ARC Musee D'Art Moderne Ville De Paris
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION Jesus Rafael Soto Expo 60 - ARC Musee D'Art Moderne Ville De Paris 1969 Screenprint on Cardboard 27 1/2 x 18 1/2 in. Edition of 1000 Signed on bottom right, si...
Mixed Media, Cardboard, Screen
Ovalo en el Rojo Edition 78/110
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...
Metal
Untitled (from the Jai-Alai Series) 1969
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Untitled (from the Jai-Alai Series) 1969 wood, paint, metal and nylon thread signed and numbered ‘SOTO, 31/300’ (on the base) published by Marlborough Gallery, New York. 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...
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
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
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
"Elizabeth Stein Gallery" Lithograph Exhibition Poster
By Ilya Bolotowsky
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Elizabeth Stein Gallery A/P" is a color lithograph poster. This piece features an abstract and geometric design in yellow. Unsigned. 40" x 26" Born in Russia in 1907, Ilya Bolotowsky left his native country in his early childhood. The family was forced to emigrate as a result of his parent’s anti-Communist sentiments. They traveled first to Constantinople, then settled in New York City in 1923. Bolotowsky enrolled at the National Academy of Design in 1924. He tried out many styles in this period, ranging from the representational and classical to the abstract and expressionistic. In the early 1930s he became a designer of textiles. In 1932 Bolotowsky spent ten months in Europe. Although he was already familiar with prevailing modernist movements, the opportunity to study a wide range of these works and to meet some of the artists who had made them affected Bolotowsky profoundly. As a result of this trip, Bolotowsky began to synthesize aspects of Cubism with the abstract Surrealism of artists like Miro and Arp. These softer, floating forms gave way to a rectilinear geometry as he became more influenced by the Constructivists and Mondrian. Upon his return to the United States, Bolotowsky married his fellow painter Esphyr Slobodkina...
Lithograph
$1,750
H 81 in W 34 in D 0.1 in
Melted Oscar II (Limited Edition Of Only 30 Prints)
By Mauro Oliveira
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
**STORE CLOSURE - UP TO 80% OFF - TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT** ***EVERYTHING MUST GO BY DECEMBER 31ST!*** >>The artist is moving to a new full time venture in 2026<< _________...
Canvas
A Book of Silkscreen Prints 1973-76 (2nd Edition)
By Robert Mangold
Located in New York, NY
Associated with the Minimalist art movement of the 1960s, Mangold developed a reductive vocabulary based on geometric forms, monochromatic color, and an emphasis on the flatness of t...
Screen
$850
H 42 in W 34 in D 0.1 in
COLORFUL RAINBOW RAIN III (Limited Edition Print of Only 30)
By Mauro Oliveira
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
**STORE CLOSURE - UP TO 80% OFF - TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT** ***EVERYTHING MUST GO BY DECEMBER 31ST!*** >>The artist is moving to a new full time venture in 2026<< _________...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas
$600Sale Price|20% Off
H 40 in W 28 in D 0.25 in
Kandinsky at Galerie Karl Flinker - 1977 Exhibition Poster - in Ink on Paper
By Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Soquel, CA
Kandinsky at Galerie Karl Flinker - 1977 Exhibition Poster - in Ink on Paper Poster with a reproduction of "Merry Structure" by Vassily Kandinsky (Russian, 1866-1944). This posted i...
Paper, Ink, Lithograph
$3,000
H 22 in W 22 in
Homage to the Square - P1, F5, I1, Geometric Screenprint by Josef Albers
By Josef Albers
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Homage to the Square - Portfolio 2, Folder 5, Image 1" from the portfolio “Formulation: Articulation” created by Josef Albers in 1972. This monumental series consists of 127 origina...
Screen
$3,500
H 22 in W 22 in
Homage to the Square - P2, F5, I1 - Geometric Screenprint by Josef Albers
By Josef Albers
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Homage to the Square - Portfolio 2, Folder 5, Image 1" from the portfolio “Formulation: Articulation” created by Josef Albers in 1972. This monumental series consists of 127 origina...
Screen
$3,000
H 22 in W 22 in
Homage to the Square - P2, F14, I2 - Geometric Screenprint by Josef Albers
By Josef Albers
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Homage to the Square - Portfolio 2, Folder 14, Image 2" from the portfolio “Formulation: Articulation” created by Josef Albers in 1972. This monumental series consists of 127 origin...
Screen
$3,000
H 22 in W 22 in
Homage to the Square - P1, F5, I2 - Geometric Screenprint by Josef Albers
By Josef Albers
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Homage to the Square - Portfolio 2, Folder 5, Image 2" from the portfolio “Formulation: Articulation” created by Josef Albers in 1972. This monumental series consists of 127 origina...
Screen
$14,000
H 16 in W 22 in
Frank Stella, Line Up, from Jasper's Dilemma, signed/n, geometric abstraction
By Frank Stella
Located in New York, NY
Frank Stella Line Up, from Jasper's Dilemma (Axsom 85), 1973 Lithograph in colors on J. Green mould-made paper Signed, dated and numbered 56/100 in pencil lower right front 16 × 22 i...
Lithograph
$3,500
H 22 in W 22 in
Homage to the Square, P2, F33, I2 - Geometric Screenprint by Josef Albers
By Josef Albers
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Homage to the Square - P2, F33, I2" from the portfolio “Formulation: Articulation” created by Josef Albers in 1972. This monumental series consists of 127 original screenprints that...
Screen
$3,500
H 22 in W 22 in
Homage to the Square - P2, F17, I2 - Geometric Screenprint by Josef Albers
By Josef Albers
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Homage to the Square - P2, F17, I2" from the portfolio “Formulation: Articulation” created by Josef Albers in 1972. This monumental series consists of 127 original screenprints that...
Screen
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
Composition 1996
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Miami, FL
Composition 1996 Silkscreen in colors on Arches paper 21.7 x 29.5 in (55 x 75 cm) Editioned upper left and signed upper right Edition of 99 Jesús Rafael Soto was born on June 5, 19...
Lithograph
Sold
H 23.63 in W 23.63 in
Jesús Rafael Soto ( 1923 – 2005 ) – Composition – hand-signed serigraphy – 1970
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Varese, IT
color serigraphy on paper, edited in 1970 limited edition signed in pencil by artist and numbered as: 169/190 in lower right paper size: 60 x 60 cm very good conditions, with strong ...
Paper, Screen
Sold
H 23.63 in W 23.63 in
Jesús Rafael Soto ( 1923 – 2005 ) – Composition – hand-signed serigraphy – 1970
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Varese, IT
color serigraphy on paper, edited in 1970 limited edition signed in pencil by artist and numbered as: 154/190 in lower right paper size: 60 x 60 cm very good conditions, with strong ...
Paper, Screen
Kinetic OP Art Silkscreen by Jesús Rafael Soto
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jesus Rafael Soto, Venezuelan (1923 - 2005) Title: Expo 60 - ARC Musee D'Art Moderne Ville De Paris Year: 1969 Medium: Screenprint, signed ...
Screen
Untitled (Olympic Centennial)
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color screenprint on Arches. Signed and numbered 58/250 in pencil. Published by Puma Trading, Paris, or Editiones Catalanes, Barcelona, for the Interna...
Color, Screen
Untitled
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color screenprint on heavy white wove paper. Signed and numbered 8/100 in pencil. Published by Edition Domberger, Stuttgart, and Artists United for Nat...
Color, Screen
Sold
H 31.5 in W 23.63 in
Jesús Rafael Soto - Composition - Hand-Signed Serigraphy, 1978
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Varese, IT
Jesús Rafael Soto ( 1923 - 2005 ) - Composition - Hand-Signed Serigraphy, 1978 Additional Information: Material: Serigraphy on paper Limited edition...
Paper
Sold
H 26.78 in W 26.78 in
Jesús Rafael Soto - Hand-Signed Relief Screenprint, 1985
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Varese, IT
Jesús Rafael Soto ( 1923 - 2005 ) - Hand-Signed Relief Screenprint, 1985 Additional Information: Material: Relief Screenprint on Fabriano paper Edit...
Screen
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
Composition, circa 1980
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
Composition, circa 1980 Signed Serigraphy E. A.
Screen