Origins & Early Life

Frank Popper (17 April 1918 – 12 July 2020) was a Czech-born French-British historian of art and technology and professor emeritus of Aesthetics and the Science of Art at the University of Paris VIII. He was decorated with the medal of the Légion d'honneur by the French Government. He is author of the books Origins and Development of Kinetic Art, Art, Action, and Participation, Art of the Electronic Age and From Technological to Virtual Art. Popper documented the historical record of the relationship between technology and participatory forms of art, especially between the late 1960s and the early 1990s.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In his books Origins and Development of Kinetic Art and Art, Action and Participation, Popper showed how Kinetic Art played an important part in pioneering the unambiguous use of optical movement and in fashioning links between science, technology, art and the environment. Popper was a champion of the humanizing effects of such an interdisciplinary synthesis. Key to his initial thinking and activities as an aesthetician, cultural theorist, curator, teacher and art critic was his encounter in the early 1950s with the kinetic artist (and author of the book...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abdul Hamid II — Contemporary (Died in 1918) (1918): Last effective Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, navigating decline and constitutional upheaval.
• Abraham Pais — Contemporary (Born in 1918) (1918): Pioneering physicist and acclaimed science historian of modern physics.
• Adolfo Pedernera — Contemporary (Born in 1918) (1918): Argentine football legend, nicknamed 'El Maestro,' pivotal in the 1940s.
• Alan Parker — Contemporary (Died in 2020) (2020): Acclaimed English filmmaker known for genre versatility and numerous BAFTA and Golden Globe wins.
• Albert Uderzo — Contemporary (Died in 2020) (2020): Pioneering French comic artist, co-creator of the iconic Astérix series.
• Armando Manzanero — Contemporary (Died in 2020) (2020): Mexican composer and singer, celebrated for defining the romantic sound of postwar Latin America.
• Alexander II of Russia — Shared historical date (04-17 · Born) (1818): Emperor of Russia, known as 'The Liberator' for abolishing serfdom.
• Benjamin Franklin — Shared historical date (04-17 · Died) (1790): American polymath, Founding Father, and inventor who shaped the early United States.
• Alfred Dreyfus — Shared historical date (07-12 · Died) (1935): French Army officer central to the antisemitic Dreyfus Affair, sparking a major political crisis.
• Amedeo Modigliani — Shared historical date (07-12 · Born) (1884): Italian painter and sculptor known for elongated, modern portraits and nudes.
• 1918 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1918
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• 2020 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2020
• July 12 (07-12) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on July 12