Movement Op' Art
The term “Op Art" was first coined in Time Magazine in 1964, to describe Julian Stanczak's exhibition Optical Paintings at the Martha Jackson Gallery. The article defined this new genre as a "new movement of optical art that has appeared in the Western world and which plays and abuses the fallibility of vision." “Op Art" describes all types of art based on optical illusions or visual tricks. Op artists distort viewers' vision by producing images that appear to move, are hidden, flash or vibrate. To do this, artists create visual effects through pattern and line to establish a juxtaposition between the foreground and background, resulting in a contradictory perceptual experience.
It wasn't long before Op Art was commercialised; designers, illustrators and advertisers adopted this unique style to create posters, furniture, record and book covers. Throughout the 1960s, shops were filled with Op-Art-inspired clothing, and interiors were adorned with Vasarely-style wallpaper. This merging of Op Art and popular culture arguably discredited the movement, reducing it to a passing fashion and design phase. However, today the movement is increasingly being appreciated for its contribution to fine art, and the Centre Pompidou even dedicated a major retrospective to Victor Vasarely in 2019. Galleries are filling their walls with hypnotising optical illusions, and are beginning to appreciate the complicated yet beautiful artworks of the Op Art movement.
Victor Vasarely
Vasarely is representative of the Space Age: a time where by the year 2000 many thought we would be wearing astronaut suits and loading up the space ship for the school run.
His use of geometric patterns, opposing colour and complicated perceptions test the limits of our vision, and established his position as an artist in the contemporary art world. In his famous series, Vega, Vasarely depicts the depths of space, the magnitude of planets and the momentousness of galaxies through an intricate composition of line and shape. His works are emblematic of possibility; influencing not only fellow artists but also popular culture as a whole.
Bridget Riley
Heavily influenced by George Seurat, Riley developed her distinctive style in the 1950s. Riley quickly established herself on the art scene and in 1964, her work, Currrent, featured in The Exponsive Eye exhibition organised by MoMA. Although her geometric black and white canvases were reminiscent of Vasarely's works, she was considered one of the leading figures in Op Art.
Maybe your parents or grandparents claim Op Art is no longer relevant, since they've certainly had their fill of psychedelic swirls and mind-altering patterns. However, here at Artsper, we're keen to reintroduce hallucinatory artworks into your life, so rediscover Vasarely and the best Op-Art-inspired contemporary artists we have to offer!
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Beyond the Visible
Yaacov Agam
Fine Art Drawings - 25.4 x 27.9 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10 x 11 inch
$2,000
Miroir d'Artistes
Jesús-Rafael Soto
Print - 50.2 x 50.2 x 5.1 cm Print - 19.75 x 19.75 x 2 inch
$24,000
Beyond the Visible (multi dimensional tower sculpture)
Yaacov Agam
Sculpture - 87 x 22.2 x 22.2 cm Sculpture - 34.25 x 8.75 x 8.75 inch
$25,875
Mobile translucide orange
Julio Le Parc
Sculpture - 110 x 60 x 12 cm Sculpture - 43.3 x 23.6 x 4.7 inch
$28,572
Juxtapose Red and Gray Diptych
Jose Margulis
Sculpture - 101.6 x 165.1 x 10.2 cm Sculpture - 40 x 65 x 4 inch
$18,000
Chromointerference Circulaire B
Carlos Cruz-Diez
Sculpture - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$19,048
Subtractive variability manipulable IV
Felipe Pantone
Sculpture - 33 x 13 x 21 cm Sculpture - 13 x 5.1 x 8.3 inch
$6,548
Summer Suite (Red with Gold IV)
Richard Anuszkiewicz
Print - 54.6 x 54.6 cm Print - 21.5 x 21.5 inch
$2,500
Spazzio fratturato
Romano Zanotti
Painting - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
$2,143
Cubos Transparencia 2 (Framed)
Rodrigo Spinel
Fine Art Drawings - 25 x 35 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.8 x 13.8 x 0.1 inch
$700
Bras-Corps
Ji-Yun
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29.7 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0.1 inch
$952
Chromadynamica #95
Felipe Pantone
Painting - 166 x 120 x 4 cm Painting - 65.4 x 47.2 x 1.6 inch
$29,763
Lichtreflex Rotation
Hein Gravenhorst
Photography - 30 x 30 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 inch
$1,786
Portrait Fragmenta v 01.4
LosOtros Mj Tom
Painting - 51 x 34 x 1 cm Painting - 20.1 x 13.4 x 0.4 inch
$595
Light in the darkness
Wilds
Sculpture - 115 x 115 x 20 cm Sculpture - 45.3 x 45.3 x 7.9 inch
$18,751
N°102 - série sculpture murale
Vincent Poyen
Sculpture - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$4,572
Sfera Antares
Gianfranco Meggiato
Sculpture - 200 x 120 x 120 cm Sculpture - 78.7 x 47.2 x 47.2 inch
$355,000
The Sky is Dreaming I
Lewis Deeney
Painting - 101 x 75 x 2 cm Painting - 39.8 x 29.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,357
Rainbow Star of David
Yaacov Agam
Painting - 30.5 x 30.5 x 3.8 cm Painting - 12 x 12 x 1.5 inch
$49,500
Mini Chorus 1
Geoff Catlow
Fine Art Drawings - 33 x 33 x 4 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13 x 13 x 1.6 inch
$706
The Flames Dance Between Past Present & Future
Lewis Deeney
Print - 42 x 29 x 0.1 cm Print - 16.5 x 11.4 x 0 inch
$262
![Fine Art Drawings, Mrs Ka. [?] v1.3, LosOtros Mj Tom](https://media.artsper.com/artwork/164794_1_grid.jpg)
Mrs Ka. [?] v1.3
LosOtros Mj Tom
Fine Art Drawings - 200 x 100 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 78.7 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch
$3,095
Transparency - blue-violet
Go Segawa
Sculpture - 15 x 15 x 15 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 5.9 x 5.9 inch
$833
Oval - blue & yellow - (UV print)
Go Segawa
Sculpture - 24.8 x 11.9 x 11.9 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch
$833
Egg in Jelly I (UV print: large)
Go Segawa
Sculpture - 35.2 x 16.9 x 16.9 cm Sculpture - 13.9 x 6.7 x 6.7 inch
$1,429
Subtractive Variability Circular P4
Felipe Pantone
Print - 70 x 70 x 0.1 cm Print - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0 inch
$2,976
Subtractive Variability Circular P3
Felipe Pantone
Print - 70 x 70 x 0.1 cm Print - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0 inch
$2,976
Yellow Haze, from The Evolution Suite I
Yaacov Agam
Print - 36.5 x 35 x 1 cm Print - 14.4 x 13.8 x 0.4 inch
$2,857
Snake I - blue - (UV print: large) 2020
Go Segawa
Sculpture - 22 x 22 x 22 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 8.7 x 8.7 inch
$1,429
Subtractive Variability Circular P5
Felipe Pantone
Print - 70 x 70 x 0.1 cm Print - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0 inch
$2,976
Subtractive Variability Circular P2
Felipe Pantone
Print - 70 x 70 x 0.1 cm Print - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0 inch
$2,976