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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
Victor Vasarely, Door, 1982
Victor Vasarely, Door, 1982

Victor Vasarely, Door, 1982

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

Victor Vasarely (Hungarian / French 1906 – 1997) Door, 1982 Numbered ‘E.A. 7/9’ (lower left) and signed Vasarely (lower right) Artist’s proof Silkscreen print 43 x 23.1/2 in. (109.3 ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Op Art

Materials

Screen

Laudis End
Laudis End

Laudis End

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Laudis End" 1981 is a color serigraph on Wove paper by noted American artist Roy Ahlgren, 1927-2011 It is hand signed, titled, dated and numbered 90/99 in pencil...

Category

Mid-20th Century Op Art

Materials

Screen

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

Inward Eye
Inward Eye

Inward Eye

By Richard Anuszkiewicz

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Inward Eye" 1970, is an original colors screen print by renown artist Richard Anuszkiewicz, 1930-2020. It is hand signed in pencil by the artist. The image size ...

Category

Late 20th Century Op Art

Materials

Screen

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

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

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

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

Mesa, OP Art Silkscreen by Roy Ahlgren
Mesa, OP Art Silkscreen by Roy Ahlgren

Mesa, OP Art Silkscreen by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Mesa Year: 1986 Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 150 Image Size: 18 x 26 inches Size: 22 x 30 in. (55.88 x...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Revolution, Op Art Screenprint by Jack Brusca
Revolution, Op Art Screenprint by Jack Brusca

Revolution, Op Art Screenprint by Jack Brusca

By Jack Brusca

Located in Long Island City, NY

Jack Brusca, Peruvian (1927 - ) - Revolution, Year: 1978, Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 200, AP 30, Image Size: 24 x 24 inches, Size: 27 in. x 26 ...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Spiral, Signed Screenprint by Kyohei Inukai
Spiral, Signed Screenprint by Kyohei Inukai

Spiral, Signed Screenprint by Kyohei Inukai

By Kyohei Inukai

Located in Long Island City, NY

Spiral Kyohei Inukai (aka Earle Goodenow), American (1913–1985) Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 50 Image Size: 21.5 x 25.5 inches Size: 23 x 29.75 in. (58.42 x ...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Orion, Geometric OP Art Serigraph by Tony Bechara
Orion, Geometric OP Art Serigraph by Tony Bechara

Orion, Geometric OP Art Serigraph by Tony Bechara

By Tony Bechara

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Tony Bechara, Puerto Rican (1942 - ) Title: Orion Year: 1979 Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 250 Image Size: 26 x 19 inches Size: 30 in. x 22 in. (...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

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 Sculpture, 1987
Untitled Sculpture, 1987

Untitled Sculpture, 1987

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Palo Alto, CA

Created in 1987, this original acrylic on wood sculpture is hand signed by Victor Vasarely (Pécs, 1906 - Paris, 1997)in black ink in the lower centerand numbered from the edition of ...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Wood, Acrylic

Purple v. 1, OP Art Silkscreen by Babe Shapiro
Purple v. 1, OP Art Silkscreen by Babe Shapiro

Purple v. 1, OP Art Silkscreen by Babe Shapiro

By Babe Shapiro

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Babe Shapiro, American (1937 - 2016) Title: Purple v. 1 Year: 1972 Medium: Silkscreen, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 75 Image Size: 28 x 28 inches Size: 35 x 3...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Space Sounds no.3
Space Sounds no.3

Space Sounds no.3

By Evelyn B. Johnson

Located in Long Island City, NY

Space Sounds no.3 Evelyn B. Johnson Date: circa 1980 Screenprint, signed, numbered, and titled in pencil Edition of 7/25 Image Size: 28 x 21 inches Size: 30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.88 cm)

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

City of New York, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren
City of New York, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

City of New York, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: City of New York Year: 1972 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 50 Image Size: 20 x 26 inches Size: 23 x 29...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

USA, Op Art Screenprint by Jack Brusca
USA, Op Art Screenprint by Jack Brusca

USA, Op Art Screenprint by Jack Brusca

By Jack Brusca

Located in Long Island City, NY

Jack Brusca, American (1939 - 1993) - USA, Year: 1978, Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 200, AP 30, Image Size: 24 x 24 inches, Size: 28 in. x 26 in....

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

TER-UR
TER-UR

Victor VasarelyTER-UR

$1,770Sale Price|40% Off

TER-UR

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Aventura, FL

Serigraph on paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. Sheet size 39 x 30 inches. Image size 24.25 x 24.25 inches. Custom framed as pictured. From the edition of 250. Additio...

Category

Late 20th Century Op Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

Centered Rings
Centered Rings

Centered Rings

By Julian Stanczak

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Centered Rings Screen print, 1971 Signed and numbered in pencil From: Twelve Progressions Commissioned by Martha Jackson Graphics Printer: Domberger, Stuttgart, Germany Their drystam...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Mirroire d'Artiste
Mirroire d'Artiste

Mirroire d'Artiste

By Jesús Rafael Soto

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Jesus Rafael Soto, Venezuelan (1923 - 2005) Title: Mirroire d'Artiste Year: 2005 Medium: Mirrored Glass and Silkscreened Plexiglass Wall Sculpture, signature and number ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Op Art

Materials

Metal

Hexagone

Hexagone

Located in Miami, FL

Victor Vasarely (9 April 1906 – 15 March 1997), was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely accepted as a grandfather and leader of the Op art movement. In 1928, he enrolled at Sán...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Plexiglass

K-BYMR, Orange OP Art Screenprint by Josef Levi
K-BYMR, Orange OP Art Screenprint by Josef Levi

K-BYMR, Orange OP Art Screenprint by Josef Levi

By Josef Levi

Located in Long Island City, NY

This screenprint was created by American artist Josef Levi. Levi is especially known for his interest in the visual similarities that transcend cultures, like the pattern shown here....

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Roy Ahlgren 'Embryo' Signed, Limited Edition Op-Art Serigraph Print
Roy Ahlgren 'Embryo' Signed, Limited Edition Op-Art Serigraph Print

Roy Ahlgren 'Embryo' Signed, Limited Edition Op-Art Serigraph Print

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in San Rafael, CA

Roy Ahlgren (American, 1927 - 2011) Embryo, 1982 Serigraph on wove paper Signed, title and edition in pencil in lower margin Edition 8/130 Sheet: 22 1/4in H x 29 3/4in L (unframed) ...

Category

Late 20th Century Op Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Screen

Sanctuary

Sanctuary

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Signed, dated, titled and numbered in pencil Edition: 150 (80/150) 15 color silk screen 12" round Provenance: Estate of the Artist By decent

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Mobius, Signed Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren
Mobius, Signed Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

Mobius, Signed Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Mobius Year: 1978 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 80 Image Size: 18 x 26 inches Size: 22 x 30 in. (55.8...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Facade 1
Facade 1

Facade 1

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Facade I Screen print, 1970 Signed, dated, titled and numbered in pencil Edition: 100 (44/100) Provenance: Estate of the artist By decent Condition: Excellent Image: 24 x 29" Sheet:...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Architecture Kinetic Statue of Liberty Op Art Screen Print Lithograph Pol Bury
Architecture Kinetic Statue of Liberty Op Art Screen Print Lithograph Pol Bury

Architecture Kinetic Statue of Liberty Op Art Screen Print Lithograph Pol Bury

By Pol Bury

Located in Surfside, FL

Pol Bury (Belgian, 1922-2005) screen print of Statue of Liberty Hand signed and numbered 27/ 62 in pencil Dimensions: 24.25 X 17.5 inches. (sheet size) Provenance: Published by Lefebre Gallery, New York. lithographie en couleurs. Signées et numérotées 27/62. This is just for the print. the title sheet is just included for reference. Pol Bury (1922 – 2005) was a Belgian sculptor who began his artistic career as a painter in the Jeune Peintre Belge (along with Willy Anthoons, James Ensor, Odette Collon, Pierre Alechinsky, Jo Delahaut and Jean Rets...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen

Luna, Abstract Geometric Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren
Luna, Abstract Geometric Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

Luna, Abstract Geometric Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Luna Year: 1977 Edition: AP Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Image Size: 17.5 x 17.5 inches Size: 20 x 20 inches

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Night Nurse, Large Magritte-like Surreal Painting by Backstrom aka Beck o Jung
Night Nurse, Large Magritte-like Surreal Painting by Backstrom aka Beck o Jung

Night Nurse, Large Magritte-like Surreal Painting by Backstrom aka Beck o Jung

By Holger Bäckström

Located in Long Island City, NY

An oil painting by Holger Bäckström from 1979. A mixed media collage and oil painting produced by the company Beck & Jung, a collaborative duo between Holger Bäckström and Bo Ljungberg in the 1960's-70's. Their emphasis on highly designed optical art-style is eminent in the objects produced from Beck & Jung. Artist: Holger Bäckström and Bo Ljungberg (aka Beck & Jung), Scandanavian (1939 - 1997 and 2007) Title: Night Nurse...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Countessian, 1983, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson
Countessian, 1983, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson

Countessian, 1983, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson

By Barry Nelson

Located in Long Island City, NY

Countessian Barry Nelson, British/American (1937) Date: 1983 Etching with Aquatint on Arches, signed, titled, numbered and dated in pencil Edition of AP Image Size: 29.5 x 20.25 inch...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

VICTOR VASARELY - OEUVRES PROFONDES CINETIQUES I - 1973
VICTOR VASARELY - OEUVRES PROFONDES CINETIQUES I - 1973

VICTOR VASARELY - OEUVRES PROFONDES CINETIQUES I - 1973

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Pembroke Pines, FL

Artist: Victor Vasarely Title: Profound Works I 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

1970s 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.