abraham palatnik

Abraham Palatnik (b. 1928, Natal, Brazil - d. 2020, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is an iconic figure in the optical and kinetic art movements of Brazil—a pioneer in his long-standing interest for exploring the creative possibilities embedded in crossings of art and technology. Having studied engineering, the artist became interested in investigating mechanical uses of light and movement. In 1949, he rose to prominence with the creation of his first Aparelho Cinecromático [Kinechromatic Device] effectively reinventing the idea of a painting by using different voltage bulbs moving at different speeds and directions to create kaleidoscopic images. The piece was shown at the 1st Bienal de São Paulo (1951) and received an Honorable Mention from the International Jury for its originality. 

Abraham Palatnik subsequently initiated his work with reliefs, coined Progressive Reliefs, which he made out of various materials (such as wood, duplex cardboard and acrylic), manually cut and intercalated to create a sense of rhythmic undulation.

Abraham Palatnik has participated in many exhibitions in Brazil and internationally, including eight editions of the Bienal de São Paulo (1951-1969) and the 32^nd Biennale di Venezia, Italy (1964). Main solo exhibitions include: Abraham Palatnik: Seismograph of Color, at Nara Roesler (2022), in New York, United States; Abraham Palatnik – A Reinvenção da Pintura [Abraham Palatnik – The Reinvention of Painting], was featured in several Brazilian institutions including: Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB-BH) (2021), Belo Horizonte; Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB-RJ) (2017), Rio de Janeiro; Fundação Iberê Camargo (FIC) (2015), Porto Alegre; Museu Oscar Niemeyer (MON) (2014), Curitiba; Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM-SP) (2014), São Paulo; and Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Brasília (CCBB-DF) (2013), Brasília, 2013. Main recent group exhibitions include: Sur moderno: Journeys of Abstraction―The Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Gift, at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (2019), in New York, United States;The Other Trans-Atlantic: Kinetic & Op Art in Central & Eastern Europe and Latin America 1950s - 1970s, with itinerancy at Sesc Pinheiros (2018), in São Paulo, Brazil, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (2018), in Moscow, Russia, and at Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (2017), in Warsaw, Poland; Delirious: Art at the Limits of Reason, 1950 - 1980, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2018), in New York, USA; and Kinesthesia: Latin American Kinetic Art 1954-1969, at Palm Springs Art Museum (PSAM) (2017), in Palm Springs, USA. His works are part of major permanent museum collections such as: Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium; Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH), Houston, United States; William Keiser Museum, Krefeld, Germany; and The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, United States.