An admirer of Mondrian and Malevich, Jesus Rafael Soto entered established abstract art circles, following in the footsteps of other South American artists. Born on June 5, 1923, in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, he died in Paris, France, in 2005. He studied at the Escuela de artes plásticas in Caracas from 1942 to 1947 and then served as director of the Escuela de bellas artes in Maracaibo, Venezuela, until 1950, at which time he relocated to Paris. There he associated with Yaacov Agam, Jean Tinguely, and Victor Vasarely, as well as artists connected to Galerie Denise René and the Nouveaux Réalistes (New Realists).