Turn Me On: Kinetic Art at Christie’s

Turn Me On: European and Latin American Kinetic Art 1948-1979

24 FEBRUARY – 7 APRIL 2014 | LONDON

Christie’s is pleased to present Turn Me On, a private selling exhibition of Kinetic Art from Europe and Latin America. Focusing on motorised Kinetic works created from 1950 to the early 1970s, this exhibition presents works that reflect the new artistic tendencies and visual language explored in the postwar period. Today understood as part of the art historical lexicon, ‘ Kinetic Art’ was simultaneously explored across the globe by several groups concerned with creating art that incorporated motion. These artists redefined art’s traditional parameters by engaging with a wealth of new materials, processes and technology. It is the aim of this exhibition to assess this dialogue with a specific focus on the unique artistic collaborations and exchanges between Latin America and Europe. The resulting range of kinetic artwork is astounding and includes Pol Bury’s early works (which at first appear to be static but are in actuality brimming with movement) and Marina Apollonio’s Dinamica Circolare 9B, 1969 (which uses precise lines and colour variation to provide a flat two-dimensional object with the appearance of depth). These exhibited works achieve movement either spatially (through three-dimensional movement), non-spatially (using cinematic film, light, or color) or virtually (with optical illusion).

In charting Kinetic Art from its beginnings in post-war Europe to its role on the international stage, and in assessing for the first time the special dialogue between Latin American Kinetic Art and its European counterparts, we are pleased to re-engage in the dialogue initiated by the important international group of artists presented in this exhibition.