Patrick Rubinstein, a French artist born on December 17, 1961 in Paris, is a master of kinetic and optical art. His art is a journey through the centuries, exploring different eras and cultures, each with its own fashions, idols and manias, which come to life and move thanks to the power of kinetic art.
His paintings draw on the principles of optical art, an artistic movement born in the 1960s, and he fuses them with his greatest passions: cinema, music and fashion.
Patrick Rubinstein, like a skilled director, creates works that, depending on perspective and light, generate different images in the same painting. His works are divided into doubles and triples, depending on whether they incorporate two or three images.
Observing a work by Rubinstein is a magical experience: from the front we see a subject, but by moving to the right or left we will discover others. In doubles, the passage from one image to another generates a kaleidoscope of sub-images created according to optical principles.
However, the power of his creations is not limited to technical virtuosity or the use of precious materials, as in his “Exception”, his latest series, where elegant golden butterflies hover on Klein blue backgrounds, creating a universe inspired by nature.
Patrick Rubinstein’s greatness also lies in his story, his message and his attempt to give something back to the community. From a young age, he was influenced by his mother, a great cinema enthusiast, and his father, a creative entrepreneur in love with optical art. His father taught him the first rudiments of kinetic art, using old family photos as game tools.
The genesis of his art is simple: if we take a photograph and fold it into many small parts, we will see that, with the light and changing the observation point, the image multiplies. The real difference in Rubinstein's works is the artist himself, his path and his continuous research.
In 1978, at the age of eighteen, Patrick sold his first painting. Thirty years of study and perfection of the technique passed before his international debut in 2008. He worked in the family business and launched his own clothing brand, whose influence is reflected in the use of glitter, in very fashionable shots and in typical fashion show colors. The death of his father, in 2006, pushed him to devote himself completely to art. Already in 2013, he was considered among the hundred best French artists.
His works tell not only his passions, but also ours. Icons such as the Beatles, the English flag, Amy Winehouse and her most famous songs come to life, but also masterpieces by Leonardo Da Vinci, Klimt, Magritte and Van Gogh.
From the sacred to the profane, the step is short, and his works also bring back to the stage Hollywood icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot, as well as beloved TV characters such as Spider-Man and Betty Boop.
Patrick Rubinstein manages to bring our memories to life and make them move in a hymn to life, creativity and the eternal cycles of history. His works are present in the most prestigious collections in the world: in 2014, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens purchased an entire series of his, Music Madness. His solo exhibitions have taken place all over the world.
Today, alongside his paintings, Patrick Rubinstein also dedicates himself to large monumental optical art installations, works intended to be enjoyed by all and which, in one way or another, contribute to eliciting a smile linked to the most beautiful memories.