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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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Sculpture, Goutte bleue, Go Segawa

Goutte bleue

Go Segawa

Sculpture - 9 x 15.7 x 15.7 cm Sculpture - 3.5 x 6.2 x 6.2 inch

$1,618

Print, Fixaro, Victor Vasarely

Fixaro

Victor Vasarely

Print - 75 x 75 x 1 cm Print - 29.5 x 29.5 x 0.4 inch

$2,890

Fine Art Drawings, 2 balles collées, Go Segawa

2 balles collées

Go Segawa

Fine Art Drawings - 13 x 13 x 18.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 5.1 x 5.1 x 7.2 inch

$809

Sculpture, Les gouttes, Go Segawa

Les gouttes

Go Segawa

Sculpture - 18.4 x 29.4 x 29.4 cm Sculpture - 7.2 x 11.6 x 11.6 inch

$1,849

Painting, Green Bit, Yann Guinchan

Green Bit

Yann Guinchan

Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$694

Print, YKA, Victor Vasarely

YKA

Victor Vasarely

Print - 62 x 54 cm Print - 24.4 x 21.3 inch

$1,017

Sculpture, Cercle Haut, Yaacov Agam

Cercle Haut

Yaacov Agam

Sculpture - 215.9 x 88.9 x 5.1 cm Sculpture - 85 x 35 x 2 inch

$50,000

Painting, Shield, Rachel Wickremer

Shield

Rachel Wickremer

Painting - 70 x 70 x 4 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 1.6 inch

$3,020

Painting, Peak, Rachel Wickremer

Peak

Rachel Wickremer

Painting - 70 x 70 x 4 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 1.6 inch

$3,020

Print, Untitled, Yaacov Agam

Untitled

Yaacov Agam

Print - 72 x 87.5 cm Print - 28.3 x 34.4 inch

$5,137

Sculpture, Hanukkia, Yaacov Agam

Hanukkia

Yaacov Agam

Sculpture - 22.9 x 35.6 x 5 cm Sculpture - 9 x 14 x 2 inch

$12,000

Print, Se2, Eusebio Sempere

Se2

Eusebio Sempere

Print - 76 x 56 x 0.02 cm Print - 29.9 x 22 x 0 inch

$578

Sculpture, River Pebbel, Yaacov Agam

River Pebbel

Yaacov Agam

Sculpture - 17 x 12.5 x 13.5 cm Sculpture - 6.7 x 4.9 x 5.3 inch

$2,196

Painting, One, Cristina Ghetti

One

Cristina Ghetti

Painting - 60 x 30 cm Painting - 23.6 x 11.8 inch

$3,432

Print, Se12, Eusebio Sempere

Se12

Eusebio Sempere

Print - 65 x 40 cm Print - 25.6 x 15.7 inch

$694

Sculpture, Fuyu – Hiver, Go Segawa

Fuyu – Hiver

Go Segawa

Sculpture - 14 x 14 x 14 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 inch

$1,387

Print, Se, Eusebio Sempere

Se

Eusebio Sempere

Print - 65 x 45 cm Print - 25.6 x 17.7 inch

$694

Print, Se14, Eusebio Sempere

Se14

Eusebio Sempere

Print - 65 x 40 cm Print - 25.6 x 15.7 inch

$694

Painting, Gambler, Bruno Hoopka

Gambler

Bruno Hoopka

Painting - 85 x 85 x 4 cm Painting - 33.5 x 33.5 x 1.6 inch

$2,254

Print, Coeur de Gemmes, ART-MCB

Coeur de Gemmes

ART-MCB

Print - 25 x 38.5 x 4 cm Print - 9.8 x 15.2 x 1.6 inch

$1,965

Print, Hypercube, ART-MCB

Hypercube

ART-MCB

Print - 20 x 20 x 4 cm Print - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch

$1,734