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Op Art

OP ART STYLE

The Op art movement emerged in the 1960s, mirroring the counterculture of the time in its embrace of visual trickery, graphic shapes and bright colors.

Spreading across Europe and the Americas, the style — whose name is short for “optical art” — influenced advertising, fashion and interior design before fading in the early ’70s.

Op art remained significant, however, for artists and scientists interested in the nature of perception. And today, it’s seeing a resurgence of interest from collectors and interior designers.

Op artists played with the principles of perception, manipulating line, shape, patterns and color to create the illusion of depth and movement. They drew on and evolved methods developed by past movements, from Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism, to produce intense visual experiences.

All the Op artists shared a focus on the gap between what is and what we perceive. Each, however, had a distinct approach to the issue and a unique visual style.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Op art that includes works by Josef Albers, Bridget Riley, Jesús Rafael Soto and more.

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Style: Op Art
Jim Bird, Untitled, from Ediciones Poligrafa, 1979
Jim Bird, Untitled, from Ediciones Poligrafa, 1979

Jim Bird, Untitled, from Ediciones Poligrafa, 1979

By Jim Bird

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Jim Bird (1937–2010), titled Untitled (Untitled), from the album Ediciones Poligrafa, Barcelona - Redfern Gallery, London, originates from the 1979 editi...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Jewel coloured vibrant op art abstract geometric painting French 1960s
Jewel coloured vibrant op art abstract geometric painting French 1960s

Jewel coloured vibrant op art abstract geometric painting French 1960s

Located in Norwich, GB

A fabulous example of 1960s geometric/op art, displaying all the fun, playfulness and vibrancy of the style. Op art, short for optical art, is a style of visual art that uses optical illusions. Typically, they give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images and vibrating patterns. Its roots can be traced back to Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism and Dada. The maker of this stunning piece is Tony Gonnet (1909-2004) an artist close to those who shaped modern art and its history. Working in Casablanca in 1940 he met André Breton and Saint-Exupéry, who were both on their way to America. Unable to obtain a visa for himself, Gonnet returned to Paris in January of 1942. Living on Rue de Seine, he became one of the figures of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and numbered amongst his many friends Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Genet – who prefaced his first Parisian exhibition in 1952 – as well as Albert Camus, Simone Signoret, Boris Vian, Jacques and Pierre Prévert and many others. In 1941, in the ennui of Casablanca, Tony Gonnet had started to draw, and then paint, in a Surrealist style. In 1946 he abandoned figurative surrealism in favour of abstraction, making sole use from then on of geometric forms and shaded tones, in his own unique style. His works aim to achieve harmony of shapes and colours, and thus to bring joy. Tony Gonnet loved life, and said that each of his works was an offering made to it. With solo shows in major Paris galleries...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Untitled 25, Abstract Op Art Screenprint by David Roth
Untitled 25, Abstract Op Art Screenprint by David Roth

Untitled 25, Abstract Op Art Screenprint by David Roth

By David Roth

Located in Long Island City, NY

This screenprint was created by American artist David Roth. Roth's images are proportioned according to a strict mathematical formula - the pictures are composed according to horizon...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Exit, Original Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Op Art, 2010s, Unframed
Exit, Original Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Op Art, 2010s, Unframed

Exit, Original Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Op Art, 2010s, Unframed

Located in AMSTERDAM, NL

Step into the mesmerizing world of EXIT, the original acrylic painting on canvas meticulously crafted and shaped by the divine proportions of the golden rectangle. Inspired by the Re...

Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Acrylic

16 Green Circles from the Eight Variants series, 1970
16 Green Circles from the Eight Variants series, 1970

16 Green Circles from the Eight Variants series, 1970

By Julian Stanczak

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

16 Green Circles from the Eight Variants series, 1970 This work is number 51 from the edition of 165 printed by Hans Mayer, Krefeld, Germany. screenprint 28"x28" Julian Stanczak American/Polish, 1928-2017. explores the visual, psychological, and emotional resonance of color in his Op art paintings, through which he aims to induce a “color meltdown,” as he describes: “I want to fuse many colorants and their gradations into a single color experience.” Influenced by Josef Albers and Russian...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled Mod Op Art 1967 Painting on Silk
Untitled Mod Op Art 1967 Painting on Silk

Untitled Mod Op Art 1967 Painting on Silk

By Henry Pearson

Located in Surfside, FL

Label from Obelisk Gallery verso. Henry C. Pearson (October 8, 1914 – December 3, 2006) was an American abstract and modernist painter. Pearson was born in Kinston, North Carolina, ...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Silk, Paper, Mixed Media

Original Op Art Abstract Color Screenprint "Planetary Folklore" Signed #2/250
Original Op Art Abstract Color Screenprint "Planetary Folklore" Signed #2/250

Original Op Art Abstract Color Screenprint "Planetary Folklore" Signed #2/250

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Portland, OR

A Op Art abstract color screenprint, "Planetary Folklore" 1968, by Victor Vasarely (1906-1997). This very striking work by Vasarely is comprised of various colorful geometric shapes, the work is signed lower right "Vasarely" and numbered lower left "2/250. This is an early and crisp impression in excellent condition and housed under glass in a gilt & silvered hardwood frame. This very eye-catching work by one of the 20th century's leading Op artists is ready to hang on your wall. 14" x 14.50" at sight without frame Numered 2/250 A Franco-Hungarian painter, Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) first studied medicine before turning to art. In Budapest, he frequented artists from the Hungarian Bauhaus...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph, Handmade Paper, Color, Screen

Line Study For Angles and Curves, Duo of Art Deco Shapes, Pastel Palette Rouge
Line Study For Angles and Curves, Duo of Art Deco Shapes, Pastel Palette Rouge

Line Study For Angles and Curves, Duo of Art Deco Shapes, Pastel Palette Rouge

By Natalia Roman

Located in Barcelona, ES

These series of paintings by Natalia Roman gather their inspiration from geometric, minimalist shapes and paintings from the beginning of Modernism, with a special emphasis on Art Deco shapes of the 30's, 40's and 50's. The subtle but chic color combinations will combine beautifully with both vintage and modern furniture without overtaking spaces that are carefully crafted by designers. Natalia Roman was born in 1984 in Girona, Spain. She has exhibited in galleries across Europe and her colorful, abstract paintings are part of private collections all over the world. Details: Title: Line Study...

Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

TallerOr
TallerOr

TallerOr

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairlawn, OH

TallerOr Screen print printed on "card board" (cream poster board), 1968 Signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 150 (54/150), plus 11 for the Vasarely Fou...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Yaacov Agam, Color Composition, from XXe siecle, 1978
Yaacov Agam, Color Composition, from XXe siecle, 1978

Yaacov Agam, Color Composition, from XXe siecle, 1978

By Yaacov Agam

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Yaacov Agam (born 1928), titled Composition coloree (Color Composition), from the album XXe siecle, Nouvelle serie, XL Annee, No. 51, originates from the...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Vertigo, Victor Vasarely

Vertigo, Victor Vasarely

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Victor Vasarely (1908-1997) Title: Vertigo Year: 1982 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 88/325, plus proofs Size: 26.75 x 22.75 inches Condition: Good Inscription: ...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Majus II
Majus II

Victor VasarelyMajus II, 1974

$20,000Sale Price|20% Off

Majus II

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Palo Alto, CA

Victor Vasarely Majus II, 1974 is a screenprint on polyester on metal that is hand-signed by Victor Vasarely (Hungary, 1906 – France, 1997) in pen and ink the lower right margin and...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Metal

Yaacov Agam, Composition in Motion, from XXe siecle, 1980
Yaacov Agam, Composition in Motion, from XXe siecle, 1980

Yaacov Agam, Composition in Motion, from XXe siecle, 1980

By Yaacov Agam

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Yaacov Agam (born 1928), titled Composition en mouvement (Composition in Motion), from the album Homage to Agam, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Exhibition ...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Owl, Circa 1970 - Op Art-Inspired Geometric Composition
Owl, Circa 1970 - Op Art-Inspired Geometric Composition

Owl, Circa 1970 - Op Art-Inspired Geometric Composition

Located in Firenze, IT

Owl, Circa 1970 - Op Art-Inspired Geometric Composition Date: Approximately 1970 Medium: Gouache on cardboard with embossed stamp Dimensions: H 64 cm x W 49 cm approx. A stylized o...

Category

Late 20th Century Op Art

Materials

Gouache, Illustration Board, Cardboard

Julian Stanczak Blue Op Art Screen Print
Julian Stanczak Blue Op Art Screen Print

Julian Stanczak Blue Op Art Screen Print

By Julian Stanczak

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Julian Stanczak Blue Op Art Screen Print screenprint Pencil signed (lower right) edition numbered 20/165, measures 28" x 28". Black frame under Plexiglas. Julian Stanczak American/Polish, 1928-2017. Julian Stanczak explores the visual, psychological, and emotional resonance of color in his Op art paintings, through which he aims to induce a “color meltdown,” as he describes: “I want to fuse many colorants and their gradations into a single color experience.” Influenced by Josef Albers and Russian Suprematism...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Palo Alto, CA

Victor Vasarely Untitled, c. 1970-79 is a glazed porcelain multiple that is hand-signed by Victor Vasarely (Hungary, 1906 – France, 1997) and is numbered from the edition of 50 on ve...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Porcelain

BI-RHOMBS, Victor Vasarely
BI-RHOMBS, Victor Vasarely

BI-RHOMBS, Victor Vasarely

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Victor Vasarely (1908-1997) Title: BI-RHOMBS Year: 1977 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 91/250, plus proofs Size: 43.5 x 26 inches Condition: Good Inscription: Si...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

2 +3 = 4, 1981
2 +3 = 4, 1981

2 +3 = 4, 1981

By Yaacov Agam

Located in Palo Alto, CA

Yaacov Agam 2 +3 = 4, 1981 offers another excellent example of the artist’s ability to induce the illusion of movement through color and pattern. By combining a multicolor palette wi...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Victor Vasarely Screen Print Abstract, Geometric Squares Cubes Hexagon
Victor Vasarely Screen Print Abstract, Geometric Squares Cubes Hexagon

Victor Vasarely Screen Print Abstract, Geometric Squares Cubes Hexagon

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Detroit, MI

Victor Vasarely born in 1906 was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely accepted as a "grandfather" and leader of the Op Art movement. Op Art is a form of abstract art that gives the illusion of movement by the precise use of pattern and color, or in which conflicting patterns emerge and overlap. Victor Vasarely and Brigit Riley are its most famous exponents. In its visual balancing act of color and movement from a flat plane to developed continuous flow “Untitled” is a complex arrangement of squares and colors that visually expand and contract. It is one of Vasarely’s most successful Op Art abstract works. The piece is signed on the lower right and number 20/150 on the lower left. The print is behind glass and matted. Vasarely was born in Pecs and grew up in Slovakia and Budapest, where in 1925, he took up medical studies. Abandoning medicine he turned to traditional academic painting at the private Podolini-Volkmann Academy. In 1928/1929, he enrolled at Sandor Bortnyik’s private art school widely recognized as Budapest's centre of Bauhaus studies. His studies concentrated on applied graphic art and typographical design. In 1929, he painted his Blue Study and Green Study. In 1930, he married his fellow student Claire Spinner (1908–1990). Together they had two sons, Andre and Jean-Pierre. Vasarely became a graphic designer and a poster artist during the 1930s combining patterns and organic images with each other. Vasarely utilized geometric shapes and colorful graphics, the artist created compelling illusions of spatial depth, as seen in his work Vega-Nor (1969). Vasarely’s method of painting borrowed from a range of influences, including Bauhaus design principles, Wassily Kandinsky, and Constructivism. In the late 1920s, Vasarely enrolled at the Muhely Academy in Budapest, where the syllabus was largely based on Walter Gropius’s Bauhaus school in Germany. After settling in Paris in 1930, Vasarely worked in advertising agencies to support himself as a graphic artist while creating many works including Zebra (1937), which is considered by some to be one of the earliest examples of Op Art. The artist experimented in a style based in Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism during the 1940s, before arriving at his hallmark checkerboard...

Category

Mid-20th Century Op Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

Op Art art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Op art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Victor Vasarely, Roy Ahlgren, Victor Debach, and Yaacov Agam. Frequently made by artists working with Screen Print, and Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Op Art, so small editions measuring 2 inches across are also available. Prices for art made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $66 and tops out at $350,000, while the average work sells for $1,616.