Venezuelan Op and kinetic painter and sculptor Jesús Rafael Soto (1923–2007) is perhaps best known for his immersive installations, which respond to their environments and physically absorb the viewer in a dynamic sensory experience.
The exploration of space is central to Soto’s work. This is evident in his early paintings, of the 1950s, which create the illusion of movement through simple compositions and a limited palette. During the same period, he integrated industrial materials like nylon and steel into linear constructions that were part painting, part sculpture.
But Rafael Soto’s grandest and most enigmatic creations are his “Pénétrables.” Made up of thousands of long clear or colored plastic strands suspended from the ceiling or from free-standing steel or PVC frames, these geometric sculptures play with the perception of space, inviting viewers to act as participants by moving within and through them.
The strips of some of the installations were partly painted, forming shapes when seen from a distance. The Houston Penetrable (2014), at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, for instance, appears to hold a floating yellow ellipse.
Rafael Soto created 25 “Pénétrables” over the course of his career. Each further blurred the line between reality and illusion and established viewers as not just spectators but as integral parts of the artwork itself.
Shop Jesús Rafael Soto's art now at 1stDibs.
Negro y Color (Black and Color) - Abstract Op Art, 1995
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Jesús Rafael Soto's Negro y Color (Black and Color) (1995) extends the principles of his Ambivalencias series into the artist's mature late work. Begun in the late 1970s as an evolut...
Metal
Price Upon Request
Ambivalencia - Signed Kinetic Op Art Painting, Acrylic Painted Wood, 1981
By Jesús Rafael Soto
Located in Palm Desert, CA
‘Ambivalencia’ is an assemblage made of acrylic painted wood by Venezuelan artist, Jesus Rafael Soto. The artwork is signed verso, "Soto 1981” ‘Ambivalencia’ is one of Soto's best-d...
Wood, Acrylic
$1,950
H 36 in W 36 in D 3 in
Sophisticated, Original Op Art Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, 36x36 inches
By Stan Slutsky
Located in Aventura, FL
Original painting on canvas. Hand signed on front; signed and titled on verso by the artist. Canvas is stretched. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity in...
Canvas, Acrylic
$17,911
H 14.18 in W 14.18 in D 0.79 in
Topaze Noir Négatif, Op Art Mixed Media Relief, Signed, Edition 37/50
By Victor Vasarely
Located in PARIS, FR
Matt acrylic-painted wood relief Éditions Denise Rene Paris Edition n° 37/50, Signed. Presented at the exhibition “Vasarely - Le partage des Formes”, in 2019 at the Centre Pompidou. ...
Wood, Acrylic
$1,280
H 40 in W 55.2 in
Rainbow Banner Diptych Painting, Op Art Acrylic on Watercolor Paper
By Ryan Rivadeneyra
Located in Barcelona, ES
Details: Title: Rainbow Banner Medium: Acrylic on Watercolor Paper Size: 100x140 cm total (40x55.3 inches); each panel measures 100x70 cm (40x28 inches) Year: 2026 * Frame is for i...
Paper, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
$25,422
H 1.97 in W 20.87 in D 20.87 in
Alberto Biasi Signed Dated and Titled Contemporary Abstract Italian Artwork
By Alberto Biasi
Located in Roma, IT
A marvellous and extremely rare work by one of the most important artists of contemporary kinetic art, Alberto Biasi (Padua, 1937). This work bears the artist's own handwritten inscr...
Wood, PVC
$985
H 18.12 in W 23.63 in D 1.19 in
Jewel coloured vibrant op art abstract geometric painting French 1960s
Located in Norwich, GB
A fabulous example of 1960s geometric/op art, displaying all the fun, playfulness and vibrancy of the style. Op art, short for optical art, is a style of visual art that uses optical illusions. Typically, they give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images and vibrating patterns. Its roots can be traced back to Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism and Dada. The maker of this stunning piece is Tony Gonnet (1909-2004) an artist close to those who shaped modern art and its history. Working in Casablanca in 1940 he met André Breton and Saint-Exupéry, who were both on their way to America. Unable to obtain a visa for himself, Gonnet returned to Paris in January of 1942. Living on Rue de Seine, he became one of the figures of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and numbered amongst his many friends Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Genet – who prefaced his first Parisian exhibition in 1952 – as well as Albert Camus, Simone Signoret, Boris Vian, Jacques and Pierre Prévert and many others. In 1941, in the ennui of Casablanca, Tony Gonnet had started to draw, and then paint, in a Surrealist style. In 1946 he abandoned figurative surrealism in favour of abstraction, making sole use from then on of geometric forms and shaded tones, in his own unique style. His works aim to achieve harmony of shapes and colours, and thus to bring joy. Tony Gonnet loved life, and said that each of his works was an offering made to it. With solo shows in major Paris galleries...
Oil, Board
$3,950
H 22.5 in W 30 in
Untitled II, Op Art Abstract Acrylic Painting on Arches Paper by David Roth
By David Roth
Located in Long Island City, NY
This acrylic painting was created by American artist David Roth. Roth's images are proportioned according to a strict mathematical formula - the pictures are composed according to horizontal and vertical divisions on the graph paper...
Paper, Acrylic
In the Cannon's Mouth
By Peter Mack
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Peter Mack Title: In the Cannon's Mouth Year: circa 1980 Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 60 x 60 in. (152.4 x 152.4 cm)
Acrylic
Acid-Wave
By Omar Rayo
Located in New York, NY
Striking 3-dimensional acrylic and wood on canvas sculpture by renowned Colombian painter an sculptor, Omar Rayo. Signed, titled, inscribed "New Yo...
Canvas, Wood, Acrylic
$2,750
H 17 in W 22 in
Untitled I, Abstract Geometric Acrylic Painting on Graph Paper by David Roth
By David Roth
Located in Long Island City, NY
This painting was created by American artist David Roth. Roth's images are proportioned according to a strict mathematical formula - the pictures are composed according to horizontal and vertical divisions on the graph paper...
Paper, Acrylic
$1,950
H 32.5 in W 32.5 in
Perspective, Large Original Painting on Shaped Wood, Op Art, 32.5x32.5 inches
By Stan Slutsky
Located in Aventura, FL
Original painting on custom cut wood. Hand signed on verso by the artist. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity included. All reasonable offers will be co...
Wood, Acrylic
$1,425
H 24 in W 30 in
Night Talks - Black Resin Wood on Black Acrylic Paint Canvas Artwork
By Amber Goldhammer
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles artist Amber Goldhammer paints dramatic abstract compositions in acrylic on canvas featuring energetic brushstrokes. Goldhammer uses her contemporary paintings to express...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Latex, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Resin, Wood
$138,667
H 37.41 in W 37.41 in D 0.6 in
Atmosphère Chromoplastique N.246 - Acrylic on Wood by L. Tomasello -
Located in Roma, IT
This great work is a part of the Collection ‘Atmosphères chromoplastiques’ which was realized by Tomasello in the mid-1970s, during his stay in Paris and at the very center of the OP...
Wood, Acrylic