Schôffer, Nicolas

(1912-1992)

   sculptor

   Considered the founder of cybernetic art and one of the more important artists of the second half of the 20th century, Nicolas Schoffer, who was also a painter, architect, and art theorist, was born in Kalocsa, Hungary. He came to France after the war and, in 1948, created "spatio-dynamic" sculpture, made from geometric metal frameworks comprised of small pieces. Later mobile sculptures were done with sound-and-light effects (Cysp I, 1956). With their "lumino-dynamism" (Lux I, 1957), Schoffer's sculptures, because of their reflectors and other optic aspects, produce the effect of mobile luminosity. His Reliefs anamorphoses (1961) create anamorphoses by movement of elements in plexiglass, and his Mer-lumière (1962) and Telelumino-scope produce abstract forms using the power of light-sensitive cells.