Kinetic Art Pioneer Abraham Palatnik Dies at 92 from COVID-19

Abraham Palatnik, a foundational figure in Brazilian kinetic art, died on May 9, 2020, at age 92 due to complications from COVID-19. He had been hospitalized in serious condition on April 29 after testing positive for the coronavirus. Born in Natal in 1928 to Russian parents and raised in Tel Aviv, Palatnik had lived in Rio de Janeiro since 1947. His career was marked by pioneering works that fused movement, time, and light, notably his 'cinechromatic devices' and kinetic objects. A major 2017 retrospective, 'A Reinvenção da Pintura,' traveled to institutions including CCBB Rio and MAM-SP. His artistic direction shifted profoundly after a 1948 visit to the Museu de Imagens do Inconsciente at the Engenho de Dentro psychiatric hospital, where he encountered works by patients Emydgio de Barros and Raphael Domingues; this led him to abandon figurative painting. Influenced by critic Mário Pedrosa and Gestalt theory, he began researching light and movement, creating his first cinechromatic device in 1949. With 'Azul e roxo em seu primeiro movimento,' he earned an honorable mention at the 1st São Paulo International Biennial in 1951. He later developed abstract-geometric painting and furniture design, and participated in the 1964 Venice Biennale, which boosted his international profile.