Generative art pioneer Vera Molnár has died aged 99.
Portrait of Vera Molnár. Courtesy Galerie Oniris and Thaddaeus Ropac
Vera Molnár, a trailblazing artist known for her pioneering work in digital and generative art, has passed away aged 99. Born in Budapest in 1924, Molnár moved to Paris in the late 1940s, where she became a significant figure in the French art scene, exploring the relationship between technology and art.
Molnár was one of the first artists to fully experiment with analog algorithms as well as computers. Beginning in the 1960s, she used programming systems to create works of geometric abstraction made according to intricate rules and was the sole female founding member of GRAV (Group de Recherche d’Art Visuel). Her work, mostly paintings and drawings characterized by simple geometric shapes and lines, sought a balance between order and disorder, planning and chance. Her contributions to art were not only technical but also conceptual, as she explored the potential of computers to challenge and expand the boundaries of traditional art forms.
In recent years, there was a renewed interest in Molnár’s work, highlighted by her participation in the 59th Venice Biennale and a forthcoming major exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in February 2024. Her legacy as a pioneer of computer coding in art and a key figure in the digital art movement continues to inspire artists working in generative art, particularly those working with NFTs, many of whom use similar, algorithmic approaches to producing work. Earlier this year, the artist released 500 NFTs in a sale at Sotheby’s that brought in $1.2 million.