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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
Untitled, 1959/84

Untitled, 1959/84

By Carlos Cruz-Diez

Located in Miami, FL

Carlos Cruz-Diez (1923-2019) Original silkscreen print, signed and numbered Title: Untitled, 1959/84 From: Exacta. Dal Costruttivismo all'arte sistematica 1918-1985 Media: Silksc...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Quasar Paal 2"

"Quasar Paal 2"

By (After) Victor Vasarely

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: offset lithograph (after Vasarely). Printed in 1972 in Neuchatel, Switzerland on thick, high-gloss paper and published by Editions du Griffon for the "Vasarely Progressions 1...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Offset

serigraph

serigraph

By (After) Victor Vasarely

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: serigraph (after the painting). Printed in 1968 and published by the (op)art galerie of Esslingen, Germany for a rare portfolio. Size: 9 1/2 x 7 7/8 inches (240 x 200 mm). No...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Linienspiel (Line Game)
Linienspiel (Line Game)

Linienspiel (Line Game)

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Palo Alto, CA

This original Plexiglas with linen is numbered 5/20 in black pen in the lower left on one side. An unexpected energy is conveyed by the broken black and white lines respectively por...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Lucite, Plexiglass, Screen

Geometric Composition - Lithograph by Richard Lohse - 1970s

Geometric Composition - Lithograph by Richard Lohse - 1970s

Located in Roma, IT

Geometric Composition is an original mixed colored lithograph realized by  Richard Paul Lohse in the 1970 s Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 200 pieces. Godd conditions exceptf...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

THEZ, Victor Vasarely
THEZ, Victor Vasarely

THEZ, Victor Vasarely

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Victor Vasarely (1908-1997) Title: THEZ Year: 1982 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 248/250, plus proofs Size: 36.5 x 30 inches Condition: Good Inscription: Signed...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Bellatrix
Bellatrix

Bellatrix

By Victor Vasarely

Located in OPOLE, PL

Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) - Bellatrix Silkscreen / Serigraph from 1969. Dimensions of work: 46 x 40 cm. Hand signed. The work is in Excellent condition.

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Island Jewel
Island Jewel

Island Jewel

By Jon Kuhn

Located in Long Island City, NY

A polished glass sculpture by Joh Kuhn from 1992. A spectacular sculpture of crystal clear glass that forms a complicated prism in which light is reflected in a multitude of optical ...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Glass

Peano Curves - Lithograph by Bruno Munari - 1991
Peano Curves - Lithograph by Bruno Munari - 1991

Peano Curves - Lithograph by Bruno Munari - 1991

By Bruno Munari

Located in Roma, IT

Screen print realized by Bruno Munari in 1991. Hand-signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of 100. Excellent condition.  Bruno Munari (October 24, 1907 in Milan – September 30, 1...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Helios, 1967
Helios, 1967

Helios, 1967

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Palo Alto, CA

This magnificent work by Victor Vasarely displays an intricate interplay of green optical figures against a clear background in a three-dimensional medium. It offers a fascinating vi...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Plexiglass, Screen

Oltar-Zoeld

Oltar-Zoeld

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Miami, FL

Victor Vasarely “Oltar-Zoeld” 1985/86 Silkscreen on paper Edition 57 of 295 42 x 68 in Victor Vasarely (9 April 1906 – 15 March 1997), was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely a...

Category

20th Century Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

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

Untitled Op Art Drawing, Pantone Ink on Archival Paper, 1999, Unframed
Untitled Op Art Drawing, Pantone Ink on Archival Paper, 1999, Unframed

Untitled Op Art Drawing, Pantone Ink on Archival Paper, 1999, Unframed

By John Kalymnios

Located in White Plains, NY

'Untitled' by John Kalymnios, 1999. Pantone ink on paper, 78.5 x 51.25 in. (framed). This geometric op art drawing features bands of concentric circles with the full spectrum colors ...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Ink, Archival Paper

Prince Donuts
Prince Donuts

Prince Donuts

By Candice CMC

Located in Southampton, NY

The gallery just received this newly completed exciting work of art by Candice CMC. The Queen of Donut Art has created The Prince of Donuts! You have read about the extraordinary don...

Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Archival Paper

Aerial, from Twelve Progressions
Aerial, from Twelve Progressions

Aerial, from Twelve Progressions

By Julian Stanczak

Located in Miami, FL

Julian Stanczak Aerial, from Twelve Progressions 1971 Screenprint 26 1/2 x 26 1/2 in. EA #3 Pencil signed and numbered Julian Stanczak (Polish, November 5, 1928 – March 25, 2017) was a Polish-born American painter and printmaker who is considered a central figure of the Op art movement in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s. Described as an artist whose work "evinced a tremendous geometric inventiveness", Stanczak is primarily known for his large-scale polychromatic abstract compositions made using acrylic paint on canvas in which he explored the perceptual dimensions of color.[3] Born in 1928 in Borownica, Poland, Stanczak survived a Siberian labor camp during World War II where he lost the use of his right arm. He retrained himself to paint left-handed and emigrated to the United States in 1950, where he eventually became a citizen. In 1956, Stanczak received an M.F.A. from Yale University, where he studied with Josef Albers and Conrad Marca-Relli, and was roommates with fellow abstract painter Richard Anuszkiewicz. The term "Op art", since used to describe a short-lived movement of 1960s and 1970s, originated from Stanczak's work when the Minimalist artist and sculptor Donald Judd used it in his critical review of the 1964 exhibition titled Julian Stanczak: Optical Paintings at Martha Jackson Gallery in New York. Stanczak achieved broader commercial recognition after being featured in the landmark 1965 exhibition The Responsive Eye created by curator William C. Seitz at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. As the popularity of Op art diminished in the late 1970s, Stanczak remained active as a painter and continued to exhibit his work, but became progressively separated from mainstream contemporary art in the U.S. In addition to being a practicing artist, Stanczak served as a faculty member at the Art Academy of Cincinnati from 1957 to 1964 and, later, as Professor of Painting at the Cleveland Institute of Art from 1964 to 1995. In 2013, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. Stanczak lived and worked in Seven Hills, Ohio with his wife, the sculptor Barbara...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Richard Anuszkiewicz, Soft Blue
Richard Anuszkiewicz, Soft Blue

Richard Anuszkiewicz, Soft Blue

By Richard Anuszkiewicz

Located in Madrid, ES

RICHARD ANUSZKIEWICZ American, 1930 - 2020 SOFT BLUE signed, dated and numbered “© RICHARD ANUSZKIEWICZ / 1984 / 737” (on the reverse) acrylic on canvas 48 x 60 inches (122 x 152.5 c...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Peano Curves - Lithograph by Bruno Munari - 1991

Peano Curves - Lithograph by Bruno Munari - 1991

By Bruno Munari

Located in Roma, IT

Screen print realized by Bruno Munari in 1991. Hand-signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of 100. Excellent condition.  Bruno Munari (October 24, 1907 in Milan – September 30, 1...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Teke
Teke

Teke

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Miami, FL

TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Victor Vasarely Teke c. 1970 Screenprint 34 1/2 x 30 1/2 in. Edition of 250 Pencil signed and numbered Accompanied with COA by Gregg Shienbaum Fine Art. C...

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.