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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
Yaacov Agam "One and Another Deluxe VII", 1977
Yaacov Agam "One and Another Deluxe VII", 1977

Yaacov Agam "One and Another Deluxe VII", 1977

By Yaacov Agam

Located in Astoria, NY

Yaacov Agam (Israeli, b. 1928), "One and Another Deluxe VII", Screenprint in Colors, 1977, signed in pencil lower right, marked "B.A.T." and dated "10/6/77" lower left, white frame. ...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen, Paper

Caroni
Caroni

Caroni

By Jesús Rafael Soto

Located in New York, NY

Color screenprint on heavy white wove paper, 1971. Signed by the artist in pencil, lower right. Numbered 146/175 in pencil, lower left. Published by Denise René and Hans Meyer, Pa...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen, Color

The Fifty Years 6 "Camocim"

The Fifty Years 6 "Camocim"

By Victor Vasarely

Located in OPOLE, PL

Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) - The Fifty Years 6 ""Camocim"" Silkscreen / Serigraph from 1989. Edition of 100. Dimensions of work: 70 x 57 cm The work is in Excellent condition. ...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Vintage Hardback Monograph: Planetary Folklore (Hand signed by Victor Vasarely)
Vintage Hardback Monograph: Planetary Folklore (Hand signed by Victor Vasarely)

Vintage Hardback Monograph: Planetary Folklore (Hand signed by Victor Vasarely)

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

Geometric Color Grid - Op Art Composition
Geometric Color Grid - Op Art Composition

Geometric Color Grid - Op Art Composition

Located in Soquel, CA

Highly precise op-art composition by an unknown artist. A grid of colored squares has been created with various colors, divided by occasional diagonal lines that give the feel of ove...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Op Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

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

Victor Vasarely, Pamir, from XXe Siecle, 1958
Victor Vasarely, Pamir, from XXe Siecle, 1958

Victor Vasarely, Pamir, from XXe Siecle, 1958

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir by Victor Vasarely (1906–1997), titled Pamir (Pamir), from the album XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXe Annee, No. 10 (double), Mars 1958, originat...

Category

1950s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Wifredo Lam, Totem, from XXe siecle, 1979
Wifredo Lam, Totem, from XXe siecle, 1979

Wifredo Lam, Totem, from XXe siecle, 1979

By Wifredo Lam

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Wifredo Lam (1902–1982), titled Totem, from the album XXe siecle, Numero special, Wifredo Lam, Nouvelle serie, XLIe Annee, No. 52, originates from the 19...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Winter, Rainbow OP Art Screenprint by James Norman
Winter, Rainbow OP Art Screenprint by James Norman

Winter, Rainbow OP Art Screenprint by James Norman

By James Norman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: James Norman, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Winter Year: 1980 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 40/50 Image Size: 22 x 32 inches Size: 25 x 38 in. (...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Zeta
Zeta

Zeta

By Victor Vasarely

Located in OPOLE, PL

Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) - Zeta Silkscreen / Serigraph from 1969. Edition III/VIII. Dimensions of work: 46 x 40 cm. Hand signed. Reference: Catalogue Raisonné Vol I par Pedro...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Orom "Denfert"
Orom "Denfert"

Orom "Denfert"

By Victor Vasarely

Located in OPOLE, PL

Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) - Orom ""Denfert"" 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

Metagalaxie, Victor Vasarely
Metagalaxie, Victor Vasarely

Metagalaxie, Victor Vasarely

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Victor Vasarely (1908-1997) Title: Metagalaxie Year: 1989 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 103/250, plus proofs Size: 32 x 27.55 inches Condition: Good Inscription...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

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

Limited Edition Architecture Kinetic Op Art Screen Print Lithograph Pol Bury
Limited Edition Architecture Kinetic Op Art Screen Print Lithograph Pol Bury

Limited Edition Architecture Kinetic Op Art Screen Print Lithograph Pol Bury

By Pol Bury

Located in Surfside, FL

Pol Bury (Belgian, 1922-2005) screen print 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

Tokyo
Tokyo

Tokyo

By Victor Vasarely

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist: Victor Vasarely, Hungarian, 1906-1997 Title: Tokyo Year: 1982 Medium: Color serigraph Edition: Numbered 180/250 in pencil Paper: Wove Image size: 25.5 x 25.5 inches Framed s...

Category

Mid-20th Century Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Victor Vasarely

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "Untitled" c.1980, is an original colors screen print on Arches paper by renown Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely, 1906-1997. It is hand signed and numbered CXCIX/CCL in...

Category

Mid-20th Century Op Art

Materials

Screen

"splash" - Abstract Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Canvas
"splash" - Abstract Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Canvas

"splash" - Abstract Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Canvas

By Charles David Francis

Located in Soquel, CA

"splash" - Abstract Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Canvas Bold abstract splatter composition by California artist Charles "Dave" Francis (American, 1951-2018). Layers of pa...

Category

Late 20th Century Op Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

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

Aftermath
Aftermath

Aftermath

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Aftermath" 1981 is a color serigraph on Wove paper by noted American artist Roy Ahlgren, 1927-2011 It is hand signed, titled, dated and numbered 2/150in pencil b...

Category

Mid-20th Century Op Art

Materials

Screen

Exploded view
Exploded view

Exploded view

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Exploded View" 1971 is a color serigraph by noted American artist Roy Ahlgren, 1927-2011 It is hand signed, titled, dated and inscribed A.P (Artist Proof) in pen...

Category

Mid-20th Century 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.