Find out more about the exhibition at Tate Modern
Welcome to the wonderful world of Julio le Parc. Think immersive, interactive installations, shimmering light sculptures, and large-scale geometric paintings. This exhibition brings together some of Le Parc’s most important works.
Julio Le Parc
Julio Le Parc Screen with Reflective Blades 1966-2005 Lent by the Atelier Le Parc 2026 © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2025
According to Le Parc, a piece of work is not finished until the visitor steps inside it or comes into contact with it – as though they are the final piece of the puzzle.
Le Parc formed part of GRAV, le Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel. They collectively stood for making art using simple forms that generated direct sensual experiences for the viewers. They believed in the idea of shifting the focus from artist over to audience.
In the exhibition, you'll notice plenty of rainbow coloured artworks. From 1959, Le Parc began exploring colour using a rule-based approach.
To make his rainbow artworks, he chose fourteen colours and combined them in precise, mathematically calculated patterns. He calculated it would take 150 years to actually physically make every possible variation.
Julio Le Parc Waves 125 Series 3 n°1 1972 © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2025
From 1959, Le Parc used light as a sculptural medium. He used it systematically, exploring ways of creating reflection, refraction and vibration. In his Continual Light Mobiles, opaque, reflective or translucent forms sway in response to slight breezes, reflecting light from spotlights or natural light sources to create ever-changing reflections.
Le Parc has rejected being in the spotlight. When offered his first major Paris gallery show, he was reluctant to engage with big institutions, so asked his 8 year old son to flip a coin to decide whether to proceed. The coin toss determined his answer and he declined the invitation.
Archives Atelier Le Parc
Blue Sphere, 2013
Julio Le Parc Blue Sphere 2013 Lent by the Tate Americas Foundation, courtesy of the Latin American Acquisitions Committee 2023 © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, Lon
Le Parc often revisits and expands on his older works. Returning to the Continual Light Mobiles of the 1960s, he has produced a wide range of new mobiles, including Blue Sphere 2001–22. These recent mobiles appear to hover like exploded views of geometric solids, composed of acrylic or reflective squares, which catch the light at different angles.
Ensemble of Eleven Surprise Movements, 1967
Le Parc has made several interactive works, which respond to touch or pushing buttons. He displayed these in groups called ‘Game Rooms’. As well as wanting spectators to be surprised by unexpected visual effects, Le Parc intended that they should become aware of their active role in completing the artworks, in direct or intuitive ways. He was fascinated by the connections created between people as they observed each other, often finding spontaneous ways of ‘playing’ together.
Julio Le Parc Ensemble of Eleven Surprise Movements 1967 Lent by the Atelier Le Parc 2026 © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2025
Julio Le Parc Light. Colour. Action runs at Tate Modern from 11 June 2026 – 3 May 2027
