Vera Molnár, Hungarian-French Computer Art Pioneer, Dies at 99

Vera Molnár, a pioneering Hungarian-French artist in the realms of computer and generative art, passed away in 2023. Relocating to France in her twenties, she became a prominent figure in the intersection of technology and visual arts. In 1961, she co-founded the Groupe de Recherche d'Art Visuel, which focused on kinetic art, and later contributed to the establishment of Art et Informatique, emphasizing computer art. Mastering early programming languages such as Basic, she created innovative computational pieces. Maïa Kantor's biography for Archives of Women Artists Research & Exhibition (AWARE) notes that Molnár viewed her work as existing 'between the three “cons” [which also translates to “idiots” in French]: Conceptualists, Constructivists, and computers'. Recently, her practice received renewed recognition, featuring in the 2022 Venice Biennale. In 2023, she launched Themes and Variations, a set of 500 distinct generative NFTs, blending her digital art heritage with the NFT trend. A significant solo exhibition titled Variations took place at the Beall Center for Art + Technology in Irvine, with a review by Charlotte Kent for ArtReview.