The Baker Museum Exhibition Lecture Jesús Soto: The Body of Space
Estrellita Brodsky, Ph.D., independent curator, collector and philanthropist
On the occasion of The Baker Museum's recent installation of the monumental outdoor sculpture Extension and Half Sphere (1991), this lecture will look at the groundbreaking aesthetic strategies pioneered by the Venezuelan artist Jesús Rafael Soto (1923–2005). Over five decades following his move from Caracas to Paris in 1950, Soto developed a unique vision of kineticism and embraced the utopian idea that art can provide a pure and direct experience unmediated by politics or institutions. Tracing Soto's trajectory as a Venezuelan artist living in France, the lecture will also shed light on the reciprocal cultural exchange between Latin America and Europe. Deploying movement, displacement and instability in unprecedented ways, the artist created works that unfold only through the spectator's movements and direct interaction, perceived as what Soto termed "the body of space.”
Estrellita B. Brodsky, Ph.D., is an independent curator, collector and philanthropist known for her support of Latin American art. She received her Ph.D. in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (2009), and completed her dissertation, Latin American Artists in Post-World War II Paris: Jesús Soto and Julio Le Parc, for which she received the award for outstanding doctoral dissertation in the field of Latin American visual culture from the Association of Latin American Art. In 2012, she curated an exhibition on the Venezuelan kinetic artist entitled Jesús Soto: Paris and Beyond, 1950-1970 at New York University Grey Gallery, and in 2008 curated Carlos Cruz-Diez: (In)formed by Color at the Americas Society in New York, the first United States retrospective exhibition of the artist Cruz-Diez. In 2017, Brodsky curated Julio Le Parc: Form into Action, at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), the first museum retrospective survey dedicated to Julio Le Parc in the United States, which was attended by over 140,000 visitors. Brodsky has taught and written extensively on Latin American art. In 2015 she founded ANOTHER SPACE, a not-for-profit exhibition gallery dedicated to broadening international awareness of and appreciation for art from Latin America and its diaspora within a global context.
Program Information
Program Information
View this month's program book to get general information about Artis—Naples and to read articles about this month’s activities.
Enrich your experience of the arts by joining Friends of Artis—Naples and/or Leadership Circle. You’ll enjoy private previews of new exhibitions, invitations to exclusive social events, discounts and more.
Artis—Naples is Southwest Florida’s leading cultural resource thanks to the generous financial support of loyal donors. Help us continue providing art and educational opportunities to all ages.
Whether you’re enjoying our entire campus for free during Community Days, making new friends in a Lifelong Learning class or attending an off-campus music performance, we hope to see you soon.
