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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
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Original color silkscreen, cca. 1980. Edition of 250 signed and numbered impressions on Arches paper. Victor Vasarely was a French painter of Hungarian origin. Influenced by Bauhaus ...
Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Original color silkscreen, cca. 1980. Victor Vasarely was a French painter of Hungarian origin. Influenced by Bauhaus design principles, Kandinsky’s and Malevich’s art and Constructi...
Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Grey tinted Rainbow (Geometric Abstraction) dazzling Op Art framed assemblage
Located in New York, NY
RICHARD ANUSZKIEWICZ Grey Tinted Rainbow, 1992 Assemblage with 14 Color Silkscreen and Lithograph Edition of 40 Pencil signed and numbered 11/40 on the front Frame included: elegantl...
Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen, Mixed Media, Pencil

Vintage Hardback Monograph: Planetary Folklore (Hand signed by Victor Vasarely)
Located in New York, NY
Victor Vasarely Planetary Folklore (Hand signed by Victor Vasarely), 1973 Hardback monograph with dust jacket Hand signed by Victor Vasarely on the first front end page 9 1/2 × 9 7/...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Board

" Vega Mir " OP ART
Located in CANNES, FR
Victor VASARELY ( 1906 -1997 ) VEGA MIR Sérigraphie sur verre signée au recto et au verso . Edition sur 200. Extrait de l'album BACH 1973. 50 X50 X 7cm .
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Glass, Mirror, Resin

ANUSZKIEWICZ, monograph (hand signed and inscribed by Richard Anuszkiewicz)
Located in New York, NY
Richard Anuszkiewicz ANUSZKIEWICZ by Karl Lunde (hand signed and inscribed by Richard Anuszkiewicz), 1977 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (hand signed and inscribed by Richard An...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Ink, Board

Wash Art 1978, Yaacov Agam
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Yaakov Agam (1928) Title: Wash Art Year: 1978 Medium: Silkscreen on wove paper Size: 38.5 x 23.25 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Signed in colored ink Notes: Publis...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled
Located in Raleigh, NC
A wonderful op art composition by an important Noth Carolina artist.
Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled - Black and White Op Art Print with Red Frame
Located in New York, NY
Limited edition of 10 and 5. Printed on Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta 325g Archival Paper. Dated and signed with the certificate of authenticity. Italian photographer Enzo Ragazzini...
Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Giclée

Bi-Tupa 
Located in Brussels, BE
VASARELY “Bi-Tupa”, Genuine 1976 serigraphy, hand signed (lower right corner), and numbered 147/225 (lower left corner). Catalogue Raisonné: Pedro Benavides, ref 282, page 86. Sheet:...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen, Paper

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

Julio Le Parc ( 1928 ) – hand-signed serigraphy on Fabriano paper – 1983
Located in Varese, IT
color serigraphy on Fabriano paper , edited in 1983 Limited Edition of 99 copies Hand signed in pencil by artist lower right and numbered EA ( artist proof ) lower left Paper size: 5...
Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

Untitled - Black and White Op Art Print with Red Frame
Located in New York, NY
Limited edition of 10 and 5. Printed on Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta 325g Archival Paper. Dated and signed with the certificate of authenticity. Italian photographer Enzo Ragazzini...
Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Giclée

Let forever be Black and White Sculpture
Located in Napoli, IT
Scultura metacrilato (plexiglass 100% riciclato) assemblata a mano - design by Gio Schiano (LIMITED EDITIONS OF 50) Misure: alto 30 cm e larga 30 cm, è firmata e numerata con certi...
Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Plexiglass

Annual Edition, 1994
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Annual Edition, 1994 Screen print, 1994 Signed and dated in pencil by the artist. Small edition Dedicated in pencil by the artist "For Bart and Ann" Created as a gift to the artist'...
Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled - Black and White Op Art Print with Red Frame
Located in New York, NY
Limited edition of 10 and 5. Printed on Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta 325g Archival Paper. Dated and signed with the certificate of authenticity. Italian photographer Enzo Ragazzini...
Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Giclée

Untitled
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Original color silkscreen, cca. 1980. Edition of 250 signed and numbered impressions on Arches paper. Victor Vasarely was a French painter of Hungarian origin. Influenced by Bauhaus ...
Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Soft Lime, Signed/N 1970s geometric abstraction by renowned Op Artist 38" x 46"
Located in New York, NY
Richard Anuszkiewicz Soft Lime, 1976 8 Color silkscreen on Lenox 100% Cotton paper 38 × 48 inches Pencil signed and numbered 41/75 on the front; bears printers blind stamp from NYIT ...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen, Pencil

ALCHIMIE & POESIE 2
Located in LILLE, FR
Signed and numbered art print by Julio Le Parc from the series "ALCHIMIES" containing a poem by Julio Le Parc. Very Limited edition Print of only 12 copies ! Technic : Pigment print...
Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

JULIO LE PARC : ALCHIMIE & POESIE 8
Located in LILLE, FR
Signed and numbered art print by Julio Le Parc from the series "ALCHIMIES" containing a poem by Julio Le Parc. Very Limited edition Print of only 12 copies ! Technic : Pigment print...
Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

1920 League of Women Voters, by Richard Anuszkiewicz
Located in Long Island City, NY
The 50th Anniversary of the League of Women Voters Screenprint Poster from 1970, designed by Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930 - 2020) printed in 1969,...
Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Screen

ALCHIMIE & POESIE 3
Located in LILLE, FR
Signed and numbered art print by Julio Le Parc from the series "ALCHIMIES" containing a poem by Julio Le Parc. Very Limited edition Print of only 12 copies ! Technic : Pigment print...
Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Structure Cubique, OP Art Screenprint by Yvaral Vasarely
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jean-Pierre Vasarely Yvaral, French (1934 - 2002) Title: 50 Shades of Blue Year: circa 1970 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 200 Image Size: 24.5 x...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

JULIO LE PARC : ALCHIMIE & POESIE 12
Located in LILLE, FR
Signed and numbered art print by Julio Le Parc from the series "ALCHIMIES" containing a poem by Julio Le Parc. Very Limited edition Print of only 12 copies ! Technic : Pigment print...
Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

La palette de l'amour | The palette of love
Located in Belfast, GB
La palette de l'amour | The palette of love Mixed Media 54 3/4 x 54 3/4 in 139 x 139 cm Unique "I have always been fascinated by motion. What fascinates me with this craft is to cap...
Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Mixed Media

A Grid like Marilyn
Located in Belfast, GB
A Grid like Marilyn Mixed Media 113 x 113 cm 44 1/2 x 44 1/2 in "I have always been fascinated by motion. What fascinates me with this craft is to capture the viewers attention. But...
Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Tout pour mon amour | All my love
Located in Belfast, GB
Tout pour mon amour | All my love Mixed Media 54 3/4 x 54 3/4 in 139 x 139 cm Unique "I have always been fascinated by motion. What fascinates me with this craft is to capture the v...
Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Atomic Kate
Located in Belfast, GB
Atomic Kate Silver Leaf and Black Glitter Dust on Board 113 x 113 cm 44 1/2 x 44 1/2 in "I have always been fascinated by motion. What fascinates me with this craft is to capture th...
Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Glitter

Near and Far Acuity, Mid Century Modern Op Art painting from historic exhibition
Located in New York, NY
Richard Anuszkiewicz Near and Far Acuity, 1957 Gouache and watercolor painting Hand signed and dated 1957 by Richard Anuszkiewicz on the right front Frame included Anuszkiewicz' artworks from the late 1950s are rarely found on the market. This historic painting is one of the works that helped launch the artist's career. It was done in 1957 - the year the artist arrived in New York. Near and Far Acuity has been removed from its original frame, and re-framed in an elegant wood frame with conservation materials and UV plexiglass. The original gallery label from The Contemporaries has been preserved and affixed to the new backing, and the collector who acquires this work will also be provided with a copy of the original receipt - signed by Karl Lunde (director of the Contemporaries and author of a major monograph on the artist). Measurements: Frame: 32 x 28 x 2 inches Artwork: 21 x 25 inches This work was first exhibited in the groundbreaking, and career-making 1960 exhibition at The Contemporaries gallery (New York, February 29, 1960 - March 19, 1960) and was featured in the exhibition catalogue, shown in the images here. In his essay entitled "Richard Anuszkiewicz: Color Precisionist" by art historian John T. Spike, he writes, "In the spring of '57, Richard Anuszkiewicz left Ohio for good. "I was ready. I came to New York with a substantial amount of work. I was ready to go around to the galleries and I was prepared because I really had something. I had an idea. I had a series of paintings that showed this idea and I felt good about it and I felt now that's the only place for me to be." A friend helped him get a job touching up the plaster models of classical temples and statues in the Junior Museum of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He took off six months the next year to travel around Europe in a Volkswagen, also seeing some places in North Africa. "When I came back, I remember taking my work around to the galleries and receiving interesting comments — positive comments from the various people. But Abstract Expressionism was very popular. My things were very hard-edged, very strong in color — a use of color that nobody was using. Everybody would say. 'Oh, they are nice, but so hard to look at. They hurt my eyes". Leo Castelli considered him seriously but the gallery was developing a specialization in pop artists like Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. "I can remember going to Martha Jackson and having her look at the work and she would put her hands straight out in front of her and block out parts of the painting with her hand and she'd say, mmm no rest areas." He finally caught on with The Contemporaries Gallery in the fall of 1959. The gallery at 992 Madison Avenue mainly represented new European talent. Karl Lunde, the gallery director, saw some of his canvases hanging...
Category

1950s Op Art

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache, Mixed Media

Parmasos VIII
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Parmasos VIII. Original color silkscreen, cca. 1970. Edition of 70 signed and numbered impressions on Arches paper. Marko Spalatin was a modern and contemporary artist from Croatia, ...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Bridget Riley Hand Signed by Bridget Riley Geometric Abstraction British Op Art
Located in New York, NY
Bridget Riley Flashback (Hand Signed), 2009 Offset Lithograph (hand signed by Bridget Riley) 27 × 27 inches Boldly signed in black marker on the front Unframed Signed by Bridget Riley in her inimitable hand on the occasion of this 2009-2010 exhibition at the Southampton City Art Gallery of works from the Arts Council of Great Britain collection. Bridget Riley Biography Bridget Riley's (b. 1931) abstract compositions yield a singular sense of visual pleasure for the viewer, a notion derived as much from the artist's formative encounters with Old Master and Impressionist painting as from her early experiences with nature. Since 1961, she has focused exclusively on seemingly simple geometric forms, such as lines, circles, curves, and squares, arrayed across a surface—whether a canvas, a wall, or paper—according to an internal logic. The resulting compositions actively engage the viewer, at times triggering sensations of vibration and movement. This sense of dynamism was explored to great effect in the artist's earliest black-and-white paintings, which established the basis of her enduring formal vocabulary. In 1967, Riley introduced color into her work, thus expanding the perceptual and optical possibilities of her compositions. Riley was born in 1931 in London, where she attended Goldsmiths College from 1949 to 1952 and the Royal College of Art from 1952 to 1955. Riley’s first solo exhibitions were held at Gallery One, London, in 1962 and 1963, followed by two exhibitions at Robert Fraser Gallery, London, in 1966 and 1967. She was also at that time included in numerous group exhibitions such as Towards Art?, Royal College of Art London (1962); The New Generation, Whitechapel Gallery, London (1964); and Painting and Sculpture of a Decade 1954–1964, Tate Gallery, London (1964). In 1965, her work was included in the now-seminal group exhibition The Responsive Eye, organized by William Seitz at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. In 1968, she represented Great Britain at the 34th Venice Biennale (along with Philip King), where she was the first living British painter to win the prestigious International Prize for Painting. Her first retrospective, covering the period from 1961 to 1970, opened at the Kunstverein Hannover in 1971 and subsequently traveled to Kunsthalle Bern; Kunsthalle Düsseldorf; Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna, Turin; and the Hayward Gallery, London. More recent significant solo presentations include those at Dia Center for the Arts, New York (2000-2001); Museum Haus Esters and Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld, Germany (2002); Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2004-2005); Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2008); Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (traveled to Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery; Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery; Southampton City Art Gallery; 2009-2010); The National Gallery, London (2010-2011); Art Institute of Chicago (2014-2015); The Courtauld Gallery, London (2015); De La Warr...
Category

Early 2000s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Untitled
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Untitled. Original color silkscreen, cca. 1980. Edition of 250 signed and numbered impressions on Arches paper. Victor Vasarely was a French painter of Hungarian origin. Influenced b...
Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Untitled. Original color silkscreen, cca. 1980. Victor Vasarely was a French painter of Hungarian origin. Influenced by Bauhaus design principles, Kandinsky’s and Malevich’s art and ...
Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Three Pattern Interference- Yellow, Blue and Purple Photographic Op Art Sphere
Located in New York, NY
Limited edition of 10. Printed on Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta 325g Archival Paper. Dated and signed with the certificate of authenticity. Italian photographer Enzo Ragazzini...
Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Giclée

Untitled
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Original color silkscreen, 1998. Edition of 108 signed and numbered impressions on Arches paper. Sol LeWitt was a well-known American Conceptual and Minimal artist. He is famous for ...
Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Op Art Bowl for Hirshhorn Museum
Located in New York, NY
Richard Anuszkiewicz Op Art Bowl for Hirshhorn Museum, 1976 Glazed Enamel on Metal Bowl. Artists Signature Fired in Plate Anuszkiewicz' signature fired ont...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Metal, Enamel

ALOM-I YELLOW/YELLOW
Located in Aventura, FL
BASF Luran mounted on aluminium. Hand signed lower front by Victor Vasarely; Signed, titled, dated and numbered on label to verso. From the edition of 8. Additional images avail...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Victor Vasarely Serigraph
Located in San Francisco, CA
Victor Vasarely: 1906-1997. Well listed Hungarian French artist with auction results for a single print over $100,000. He is considered the grandfather of the op art movement. Size d...
Category

Mid-20th Century Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Yellow Composition - Screen Print by Victor Debach - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
yellow composition is a Screen Print on Paper realized by Victor Debach in 1970s. Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 100 prints. Good condition
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Rows
Located in New York, NY
Rows, 1970, by Julian Stanczak (1928-2017) Acrylic on canvas 27 ¼ x 27 ¼ inches unframed (69.215 x 69.215 cm) 28 ½ x 28 ½ inches framed (72.39 x 72.39 cm) Signed on reverse Dated and...
Category

Late 20th Century Op Art

Materials

Acrylic

Victor Vasarely The Golfer
Located in San Francisco, CA
Victor Vasarely: 1906-1997. Well listed Hungarian French artist with Auction records for prints over $100,000. He was considered the grandfather of the op art movement. This really ...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Denise Rene" Yellow Screen Print Poster
Located in Austin, TX
A vintage screen print poster by minimalist, op artist Joseph Albers from 1968. The piece advertises and exhibit of paintings and graphic works at Denise Rene, a Paris Art Gallery. ...
Category

20th Century Op Art

Materials

Screen

Fuchsine Composition - Screen Print by Victor Debach - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Fuchsine Composition is a screen print realized by Victor Debach in 1970s. Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 100 prints. Good condition.
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Développement de cercles et de carrés #25/50
Located in LILLE, FR
Signed and numbered print by Julio Le Parc. The original drawing from 1958 is now part of the MET New-York. This edition has been done in 2018. This print is number 25 on an edition of 50. Technic : Lithograph on vélin de Rives 270gr. Format : Lithograph 48x54 cm Frame : 60 x 60 cm black painted oak, plexiglass U.V. Proof Edition Size : 50 signed and numbered copies from 1 to 50. Julio Le Parc (born September 23, 1928) is an Argentina-born artist who focuses on both modern op art and kinetic art. He is a precursor of Kinetic Art and Op Art, founding member of Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel and recipient of the Grand Prize for Painting at the 33rd Venice Biennale in 1966, Julio Le Parc is a major figure in modern art history. Upon arriving in Paris in 1958 he connected with Jesús Rafael Soto and Carlos Cruz-Diez who were already in Paris. There they met Victor Vasarely, Georges Vantongerloo...
Category

Late 20th Century Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Orange Composition - Screen Print by Victor Debach - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Orange Composition is a screen print realized by Victor Debach in 1970s. Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 100 prints. Good condition.
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Zebra
Located in Miami, FL
Victor Vasarely “Zebra” 1977 Porcelain Rosenthal Ed. 2761 of 3000 14 x 12 in
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Porcelain

Denise Rene Poster
Located in Austin, TX
A vintage screen print poster by minimalist, op artist Joseph Albers from 1968. The piece advertises and exhibit of paintings and graphic works at Denise Rene, a Paris Art Gallery. ...
Category

20th Century Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Original color silkscreen, cca. 1980. Edition of 250 signed and numbered impressions on Arches paper. Victor Vasarely was a French painter of Hungarian origin. Influenced by Bauhaus ...
Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Janus by Abi Polinsky, Represented by Tuleste Factory
Located in New York, NY
Janus by Abi Polinsky Print on Hahnemüle Photo Rag paper, framed. W 32" x H 42" Please contact us for shipping quotes and customization options.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Op Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Red kinetic diamond points
Located in Brussels, BE
By great Master Optical Art YOSHYUKI MIURA (Japanese), kinetic sculpture strictly limited to edition of 5. Signed and dated on the base 2022 Edition 1/5. Hand painted acrylic on st...
Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Acrylic

Carlos Cruz-Diez ( 1923 – 2019 ) – hand-signed Serigraphy on Arches paper – 1994
Located in Varese, IT
color serigraphy on Arches paper, edited in 1994 Limited Edition of 130 copies signed and dated in pencil by artist in lower right and numbered 83/130 lower left Paper size: 100 x 70...
Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Screen, Paper

Entropy by Abi Polinsky, Represented by Tuleste Factory
Located in New York, NY
Entropy by Abi Polinsky Print on Hahnemüle Photo Rag paper, framed. W 32" x H 42" Please contact us for shipping quotes and customization options.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Op Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Abstract Green Composition - Screen Print by Victor Debach - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Green Composition is a Screen Print on Paper realized by Victor Debach in 1970s. Limited edition of 100 copies numbered and signed by the artist with pencil on the lower ma...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Abstract Green Composition - Screen Print by Victor Debach - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Green Composition is a Screen Print on Paper realized by Victor Debach in 1970s. Limited edition of 100 copies numbered and signed by the artist with pencil on the lower ma...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Quadrato
Located in Miami, FL
Jesus Rafael Soto (1923-2005) Quadrato 1974 Editions Denise Rene 46 of 75 Acrylic/aluminum with painted metal rods 17,5 x 15,7 x 12,5 in Signed and dated Provenance: Editions Galeri...
Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Metal

RED KINETIC SEMI SPHERE
Located in Brussels, BE
Unique Piece (certified) by great Master kinetic art YOSHYUKI MIURA. Hand painted acrylic on strech nylon cords (approx. 1387!). To be wall mounted, with impressive visual effect. A...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Op Art

Materials

Steel

Chateau Mouton Rothschild label (hand signed)
Located in New York, NY
Yaacov Agam Chateau Mouton Rothschild label (hand signed), 1984 Offset lithograph (hand signed by Yaacov Agam) Hand signed twice in black and ...
Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Op Art 1971 Kinetic Oil Painting Pop Art Artist
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

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.

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