Dario Perez-Flores was born in 1936 in Valera, Venezuela. Initially, he studied sculpture at the Fine Arts Academy in Valencia (1957–1961) and later graduated in Literature from the Central University of Caracas (1965–1969). He then pursued studies in Plastic Arts at Paris-Vincennes University (1970–1973). He lived and worked in Paris. His artistic career, influenced by masters such as Jesús Rafael Soto and Carlos Cruz-Diez, began in 1961 in Venezuela when he participated in the Salons of Fine Arts and Experimental Sculpture. His earliest works were abstract sculptures made in various metals, including steel and bronze, and later in plexiglass. Among his first works were a series of sound and mobile chromed hemispheres, exhibited at Studio Actual in Caracas.
In 1970, he received a scholarship from the Venezuelan government to complete his studies in France. In Paris, he attended lectures by Frank Popper. During this period, in collaboration with an Italian craftsman, he created a series of geometrical sculptures in plexiglass, which were exhibited in Switzerland in 1972.
In 1980, Pérez-Flores participated in an exhibition at the Venezuelan Embassy in Paris alongside Carlos Cruz-Diez. On that occasion, he met Denise René, who appreciated his work and subsequently included him in numerous national and international exhibitions (in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Liechtenstein, and Venezuela).
In 1984, Pérez-Flores won the prestigious Primer Premio de Pintura at the Salón Arturo Michelena in Valencia, Venezuela. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards in Venezuela, including the Premio de Escultura at the Salón Casa de los Andes (Valencia, 1961), the Premio de Escultura at the Primer Salón de Jóvenes Escultores (Caracas, 1966), the Premio de Escultura at the Universidad de Carabobo during the Quinto Salón de Artes Plásticas (Maracay, 1967), the Premio Corporación Venezolana de Guayana at the Segundo Salón de Jóvenes Escultores (Caracas, 1968), the Premio Fundación Belloso at the Salón D’Empaire (Maracaibo, 1969), and the Premio Julio Morales Lara at the Salón Arturo Michelena (Valencia, 1970).
Works by Pérez-Flores are held in public and private collections worldwide, including the Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas, the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Centre Apollo in Lausanne, the Museum Künzelsau in Baden-Württemberg, and the Museum Ritter in Waldenbuch. His work is associated with the kinetic and optical art movement, which he joined after moving to Paris in 1970.
