Born in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, Jesús Rafael Soto studied at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas in Caracas before moving to Paris in 1950. In France, he became a central figure in the development of kinetic art, aligning himself with the Le Mouvement exhibition at Galerie Denise René, which helped define the movement's focus on motion and optical phenomena.

Soto is celebrated for his signature Penetrables—large-scale, interactive installations composed of suspended plastic or metal tubes that viewers can walk through. His practice frequently employed industrial materials like nylon, steel, and wood to create vibrating, geometric patterns that shift as the observer moves, effectively dissolving the boundary between the object and the surrounding environment.

His legacy remains a cornerstone of modern art history, with his works frequently included in major institutional surveys of Op Art and Constructivism. Recent exhibitions, such as those at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, continue to highlight his role in shaping the mid-century dialogue regarding viewer participation and the mechanics of visual perception.