Born: 1933 (Queens, New York)
Died: 1996

For over three decades, Dan Flavin created spectacular assemblages of the utmost simplicity using the most modest of materials: commercial fluorescent tubes. Having initially worked in drawing, collage and found object sculpture, Flavin turned to the purity and power of light in 1961 with his first "icon" sculpture. Using light and color as his expressive tools and space as his canvas, Flavin applied an elemental and restrained vocabulary to innovate configurations for floors, walls and ceilings, and more architecturally spirited structures as barriers and corridors. Organized by the Dia Art Foundation, NY, with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, this retrospective is a first in France for this founder of the American Minimalist movement. With over 50 worth and 60 drawings on display, the show illuminates the subtle complexities of his celebrated and lesser-known compositions, and underscores his invaluable contribution to 20th century sculpture.