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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
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

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

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

Rivotril, 1990
Rivotril, 1990

Rivotril, 1990

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Palo Alto, CA

Created in 1990, this original color serigraph is hand signed by Victor Vasarely (Pécs, 1906 - Paris, 1997) in pencil in the lower right margin. Numbered 270/300, this piece was prin...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled (Geometric Composition, Vasarely, Op-Art) (~38% OFF)

Untitled (Geometric Composition, Vasarely, Op-Art) (~38% OFF)

Located in Kansas City, MO

Nikolaus von Georgi Untitled (Geometric Composition, Vasarely, Op-Art) Color Offset Lithograph Year: 1978 Size: 19.7×23.6 on 23.6×27.6in Edition: 180 Signed, numbered and dated by ...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Thermal Inversion, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren
Thermal Inversion, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

Thermal Inversion, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Thermal Inversion Year: 1980 Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 140 Image Size: 18 x 25 inches Size: 22 x 29...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

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

Tri-Vega
Tri-Vega

Tri-Vega

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Miami, FL

TECHNICAL INFORMATION Victor Vasarely Tri-Vega 1975 Silkscreen on Arches paper 33 1/4 x 30 1/8 in. Edition of 250 Pencil signed & numbered Accompanied with COA by Gregg Sh...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

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

Topaze noir négatif
Topaze noir négatif

Topaze noir négatif

By Victor Vasarely

Located in PARIS, FR

Matt acrylic-painted wood relief Éditions Denise Rene Paris Edition n° 37/50, Signed. Presented at the exhibition “Vasarely - Le partage des Formes”, in 2019 at the Centre Pompidou. ...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Wood, Acrylic

Ilile D
Ilile D

Ilile D

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Ilile D Screen print, 1990 Signed lower right (see photo) Numbered lower left (see photo) Edition: 300 plus 50 EA Published by Circle Art Gallery Reference: Benavides 1116 Condition:...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Paralax VI, 1980, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson
Paralax VI, 1980, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson

Paralax VI, 1980, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson

By Barry Nelson

Located in Long Island City, NY

Paralax VI Barry Nelson, British/American (1937) Date: 1980 Etching with Aquatint on Arches, signed, titled, numbered and dated in pencil Edition of 28/30 Image Size: 20.25 x 29.5 in...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Relation Couleur
Relation Couleur

Relation Couleur

By Hugo Demarco

Located in New York, NY

Hugo Demarco Relation Couleur, 1973 Silkscreen on velincarton Hand signed and numbered 63/200 on lower front. Bears the publisher's blind stamp on the fro...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Stars, Yaacov Agam

Yaacov AgamStars, Yaacov Agam, 1989

$4,400Sale Price|20% Off

Stars, Yaacov Agam

By Yaacov Agam

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Yaakov Agam (1928) Title: Stars Year: 1989 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: P.P. 3/14, 180, plus proofs Size: 26.5 x 19 inches Inscription: Signed and numbered by ...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

VICTOR VASARELY - OEUVRES PROFONDES CINETIQUES VIII - 1973
VICTOR VASARELY - OEUVRES PROFONDES CINETIQUES VIII - 1973

VICTOR VASARELY - OEUVRES PROFONDES CINETIQUES VIII - 1973

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Pembroke Pines, FL

Artist: Victor Vasarely Title: Profound Works VIII Year: 1973 Not signed or numbered, as published Dimensions: 12 in. by 12 in. Framed Edition: From the Rare Limited Edition Publisher: Editions du Griffon Neuchatel Suite: Profound Works Medium: 3D, Serigraph on Acitate Over Serigraph on Paper Condition: Excellent Victor Vasarely (French/Hungarian, 1906–1997) is known as the father of the Op Art movement. As a painter, he created intricate abstractions that suggested depth and dimensionality using a variety of optical illusions, with surfaces seeming to bulge out of the canvas. His works present color, form, and pattern as a single interconnected element—a concept that was critical to the foundation of the Op Art movement and the focus of his mature works. Vasarely initially studied medicine at the Budapest University in his early 20s, only to abandon his medical studies to attend to the Muhely Academy, the center of the Bauhaus movement in Budapest. While there, he was profoundly influenced by the work of color theorist and artist Josef Albers, as well as the Constructivist methods promoted by artists such as Wassily Kandinsky. While Vasarely’s earlier work was concerned more with color theory, during the 1950s and 1960s his work became more focused on the optical potential of the two-dimensional surface. He began to use complex and colorful patterns to actively engage the viewer’s eye, and to convey a sense of kinetic energy across the two-dimensional surface. Vasarely’s work was heavily influenced by his time spent at Breton Beach of Belle Isle...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Screen

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

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

Acid-Wave
Acid-Wave

Acid-Wave

By Omar Rayo

Located in New York, NY

Striking 3-dimensional acrylic and wood on canvas sculpture by renowned Colombian painter an sculptor, Omar Rayo. Signed, titled, inscribed "New Yo...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Acrylic

TR-UR, Victor Vasarely

TR-UR, Victor Vasarely

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Victor Vasarely (1908-1997) Title: TR-UR Year: 1980 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 116/250, plus proofs Size: 39.25 x 30.75 inches Condition: Good Inscription: S...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Double Metamorphosis V, Yaacov Agam

Double Metamorphosis V, Yaacov Agam

By Yaacov Agam

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Yaakov Agam (1928) Title: Double Metamorphosis V Year: 1979 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 69/180, plus proofs Size: 36 x 50 inches Condition: Good Inscription: ...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Energia 1, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren
Energia 1, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

Energia 1, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Energia I Year: 1969 Medium: Silkscreen, Signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 100, AP Image Size: 17 x 17 inches Size: 20 x 20 in...

Category

1960s 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

Art Deco Pastel Mirrors, Turquoise and Pink Geometric Tiles Patterns, Symmetry
Art Deco Pastel Mirrors, Turquoise and Pink Geometric Tiles Patterns, Symmetry

Art Deco Pastel Mirrors, Turquoise and Pink Geometric Tiles Patterns, Symmetry

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: Art Deco Pastel...

Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

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

Oscillation
Oscillation

Oscillation

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Fairlawn, OH

11 color screen print Signed, dated, titled and numberedin pencil Edition: 150 (9/150) Provenance: Estate of the Artist By Decent

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

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.