Edgar Negret was a Colombian artist known for his geometric sculptures. His works depicted natural forms like the sun and flowers using industrial materials. It was the artist’s feeling that repurposing mechanical forms into non-utilitarian objects was a magical act. Born on October 11, 1920 in Popayán, Colombia, Negret went on to study at the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Cali, Colombia. While studying there, he corresponded with the Spanish sculptor Jorge de Oteiza, who would have a profound influence on his work. Temporarily living in New York in the late 1940s, he studied at the Clay Club Center (presently the Sculpture Center), where he met the artists Louise Nevelson and Ellsworth Kelly. In 1957, Negret was invited in to participate in the São Paolo Biennial, where he exhibited one of his hallmark works, Aparatos Mágicos (Magical Apparatuses). At the 34th Venice Biennale his work was awarded the David E. Bright International Sculpture Prize. The artist died on his 92nd birthday, October 11, 2012 in Bogotá, Colombia. Today, his works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Museum of Modern Art in Bogotá.