Julio Le Parc's last gift: a trip that saved his Venezuelan friend Juvenal Ravelo from the earthquake

Artist Juvenal Ravelo, 93, narrowly escaped a powerful earthquake that shook Caracas, Venezuela, while en route to Buenos Aires for an exhibition honoring his late friend, kinetic art pioneer Julio Le Parc. Ravelo, a contemporary of Le Parc, who passed away in Paris at 97, was on his first trip to Argentina, a journey that serendipitously saved him from the tremors that significantly impacted his home city.

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While Caracas was crumbling, my friend Julio Le Parc gave me a miracle.

The flight carrying Ravelo departed just two hours before the first of two earthquakes struck La Guaira, Venezuela's main port. Ravelo's building in Caracas, located on the third floor of a low-rise complex in the San Bernardino neighborhood, experienced intense shaking but fortunately withstood the seismic activity. It was during a layover in Panama that he received reassuring news about his wife and three daughters, who had remained in Caracas.

Now in Buenos Aires, surrounded by his art supplies, Ravelo is finalizing a mural titled 'Fragmentations of Color,' a tribute to Le Parc. He began creating the piece live at the MAPA art fair on Thursday and plans to complete it Saturday. This intergenerational project, involving students from the University of Di Tella's Design program, has, according to Ravelo, "renewed my energy." He reflected, "Art also performs miracles."

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When we stopped in Panama, they told me: 'Yuli and the girls are fine.' I didn't understand anything.

Despite the relief of his family's safety and the creative momentum, Ravelo expressed deep concern for two assistants living in La Guaira, the earthquake's epicenter, who have not yet been accounted for. He shared how neighbors, previously unacquainted, have come together to support his wife, lending her a cell phone to send messages and pooling resources for essential purchases. "The miracle appeared," he stated, referring to the fortunate timing of his trip, now embodied in the vibrant colors and geometric lines of his tribute mural to Le Parc.

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Art also performs miracles.