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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
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

Tulip and Bees (Cut-out, Collage, Black & White, Patterns, Negative Space)
Tulip and Bees (Cut-out, Collage, Black & White, Patterns, Negative Space)

Tulip and Bees (Cut-out, Collage, Black & White, Patterns, Negative Space)

Located in Kansas City, MO

Louise Marler Tulip and Bees Archival Pigment Print Epson UltraChrome Archival Inks on White Metallic Archival Stock 2022 Edition: 10 Size: 20x16inches Signed and numbered by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1694 *Separate Edition of 10 in size 10x8in available. Please inquire within. ** Framing Options available. Please inquire within. Tags: Cut-out, collage, black and white, patterns, negative space, organic Louise Marler’s photo-based Mixed Media art, is iconic visual vocabulary. Au-thentic style has led to exhibits, art collections and events which integrate his-tory, education, and entertainment. Raised in a family that collected, sold and repaired typewriters. These and other analog, vintage machines are part of her personal history and led naturally to becoming part of the subject matter of her visual expression. Louise Marleris inspired by Americana and also influenced by pop art and technology. “I developed my unique art style in a Santa Monica Airport (former mechanic) hanger turned art studio. I currently live and work in St. Louis where antique row meets the most progressive art...

Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Fiesta
Fiesta

Fiesta

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Fiesta" 1982 is a color serigraph on Wove paper by noted American artist Roy Ahlgren, 1927-2011 It is hand signed, titled, dated and numbered 66/130 in pencil by...

Category

Mid-20th Century 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

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

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

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

Epicentrum Quantinum U/G/W
Epicentrum Quantinum U/G/W

Epicentrum Quantinum U/G/W

Located in OPOLE, PL

Jaremi Picz (1955) - Epicentrum Quantinum U/G/W Acrylic on canvas from 2024. The work is enhanced with UV paint. Dimensions of work: 120 x 120 cm. Hand signed and titled on the ba...

Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Acrylic

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

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

Autoportrait
Autoportrait

Autoportrait

By Victor Vasarely

Located in OPOLE, PL

Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) - Autoportrait Silkscreen / Serigraph from 1989. Edition of 250. Dimensions of work: 47 x 37.5 cm The work is in Excellent condition. Fast and secure...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Architecture Kinetic New York Brooklyn Bridge Op Art Lithograph Pol Bury Ltd Ed
Architecture Kinetic New York Brooklyn Bridge Op Art Lithograph Pol Bury Ltd Ed

Architecture Kinetic New York Brooklyn Bridge Op Art Lithograph Pol Bury Ltd Ed

By Pol Bury

Located in Surfside, FL

Pol Bury (Belgian, 1922-2005) Screen print of Brooklyn Bridge Hand signed and numbered 27/ 62 in pencil Dimensions: 17.5 X 24.25 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Horizon Original Op Art Painting
Horizon Original Op Art Painting

Horizon Original Op Art Painting

By Marko Spalatin

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Horizon Original Op Art Painting 1978 Artist signed and dated. Marko Spalatin (American, Born 1945). An original Modern Abstract Op-Art oil painting on canvas. Titled "Horizon". Featuring colors of white, yellow, orange, green, purple, and blue. Signed and dated 1978 with title on verso. Mounted on wood stretcher. Provenance: 11/10/2007 Ivey-Selkirk Auction, LOT 775. PERMANENT COLLECTIONS Musée d'Art Moderne — Paris, France Museum of Modern Art — New York, New York Tate Gallery — London, England Bibliothèque National — Paris, France Victoria & Albert Museum — London, England Library of Congress — Washington, D.C. Museum of Contemporary Art — Chicago, Illinois Metropolitan Museum — Manila, Philippines Philadelphia Museum of Art — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Butler Institute of American Art — Youngstown, Ohio Museum of Modern Art — Belgrade, Yugoslavia Milwaukee Art Museum...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Continual, Julian Stanczak
Continual, Julian Stanczak

Continual, Julian Stanczak

By Julian Stanczak

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Julian Stanczak (1928-2017) Title: Continual Year: 1979 Edition: 41/175, plus proofs Medium: Silkscreen on Somerset paper Size: 25 x 25 inches Condition: Good Inscription: Si...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Op Art 1971 Kinetic Oil Painting Pop Art Artist
Op Art 1971 Kinetic Oil Painting Pop Art Artist

Op Art 1971 Kinetic Oil Painting Pop Art Artist

By Josef Levi

Located in Surfside, FL

Josef Alan Levi (1938) is an American artist whose works range over a number of different styles, but which are unified by certain themes consistently present among them. Josef Levi began his artistic career in the 1960s and early '70s, producing highly abstract and very modernist pieces: these employing exotic materials such as light fixtures and metallic parts. By 1975, Levy had transitioned to painting and drawing still lifes. At first these were, traditionally, of mundane subjects. Later, he would depict images from art history, including figures originally created by the Old Masters. Around 1980, he made another important shift, this time toward creating highly precise, though subtly altered reproductions of pairs of female faces which were originally produced by other artists. It is perhaps this work for which he is most well known. Since around 2000, Josef Levi has changed the style of his work yet again: now he works entirely with computers, using digital techniques to abstract greatly from art history, and also from other sources. Levi's works of art in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, NYC, the National Gallery of Art, and the Albright-Knox Museum, among many others. Levi's art has been featured on the cover of Harper's Magazine twice, once in June 1987, and once in May 1997. Josef Levi received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1959 from the University of Connecticut, where he majored in fine arts and minored in literature. From 1959 to 1960, he served to a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and from 1960 through 1967 he was in the U.S. Army Reserves. In 1966, he received the Purchase Award from the University of Illinois in 1966, and he was featured in New Talent U.S.A. by Art in America. He was an artist in residence at Appalachian State University in 1969, taught at Farleigh Dickenson University in 1971 and was a visiting professor of art at Pennsylvania State University in 1977. From 1975 to 2007, Levi resided in New York City. He now lives in an apartment in Rome, where he is able to paint with natural light as he was unable in New York. From 1959 to 1960, Josef took some courses of Howard McParlin Davis and Meyer Schapiro at Columbia University which initiated him into the techniques of reproducing the works of the Old Masters. His first works, created in the 1960s, were wood and stone sculptures of women. His first mature works were abstract pieces, constructed of electric lights and steel. In 1970, Levi's materials included fluorescent light bulbs, Rust-Oleum and perforated metal in addition to paint and canvas. By 1980, Josef Levi's art had transformed into a very specific form: a combination of reproductions of female faces which were originally depicted by other artists. The faces which he reproduces may be derived from either portraits or from small portions of much larger works; they are taken from paintings of the Old Masters, Japanese ukiyo-e, and 20th-century art. Artists from whom he has borrowed include: Vermeer, Rembrandt, Piero della Francesca, Botero, Matisse, Utamaro, Correggio, Da Vinci, Picasso, Chuck Close, Max Beckmann, Pisanello, Lichtenstein. The creation of these works is informed by Levi's knowledge and study of art history. Josef Levi's paintings from this period are drawn, then painted on fine linen canvas on wooden stretchers. The canvas is coated with twenty-five layers of gesso in order to produce a smooth surface on which to work. The drawing phase takes at least one month. Levi seals the drawing with acrylic varnish, and then he may apply layers of transparent acrylic in order to approximate the look of old paintings. After the last paint is applied, another layer of acrylic varnish is sprayed on to protect the work. Most of the figures in his contemporary pieces are not paired with any others. SELECTED COLLECTIONS MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK, NY ALBRIGHT- KNOX GALLERY, BUFFALO, NY ALDRICH MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, RIDGEFIELD, CT NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON, DC BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART, BROOKLYN, NY SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY, WASHINGTON, DC CORCORAN GALLERY, WASHINGTON, DC UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME ART...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

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

David Roth, Abstract Screenprint, 1979
David Roth, Abstract Screenprint, 1979

David Roth, Abstract Screenprint, 1979

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

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

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

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

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

Composition Microcosmos IV

Composition Microcosmos IV

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Miami, FL

TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Victor Vasarely Composition Microcosmos IV 1980 Screenprint 13 x 10 in. Edition of 50 Pencil signed and numbered Accompanied with COA by Gregg Shienbaum Fin...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Yaacov Agam, Fascination, Prismograph
Yaacov Agam, Fascination, Prismograph

Yaacov Agam, Fascination, Prismograph

By Yaacov Agam

Located in Tel Aviv, IL

Yaacov Agam,Fascination, Prismograph, Op art, Colored work, International artist, Israeli artist, Israeli art. Op art pioneer Yaacov Agam’s abstract artworks—which range from painti...

Category

Late 20th Century Op Art

Materials

Plywood

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

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.