Widely considered the grandfather of Op art, the French-Hungarian painter Victor Vasarely (1906–97) created eye-popping geometric abstractions that play with the viewer’s perception of depth, perspective and motion. A classic example is the 1937 Zebra, which consists of undulating black and white stripes that suggest the form of the titular animal through optical trickery. The work is often credited as the earliest Op art painting.
Such illusions were more than pleasing tricks for Vasarely, who insisted that “pure form and pure color can signify the world.” He wanted to “democratize” art by producing works in large editions at reasonable prices that were understandable across national and cultural boundaries. In the 1960s, he developed an alphabet plastique, or fine art alphabet, consisting of elementary visual building blocks that could be used in endless combinations to create original compositions. By employing this universal visual vocabulary and stripping away topical references, he sought to create what he called a “Planetary Folklore.”
Embodying Vasarely’s singular belief that art should serve a social function, accessible to all, these innovations may perhaps be his greatest contribution to 20th-century art.
Find a collection of Victor Vasarely prints, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.
| Average Sold Price |
| $1,959 |
| Styles |
| Materials |
| Related Artists |
Microcosmos
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Paris, FR
Silkscreen, 1979 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 106/250 Publisher : Investors Graphics Corp. (Dana Point, CA) Printer : Silium (Paris) 32.50 cm. x 25.00 cm. 12.8 in...
Silk
$4,000
H 19.75 in W 19.75 in D 0.5 in
Victor Vasarely "Zebres 1" 1976 French Op Art Serigraph, Hand Signed & Numbered
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Miami, FL
VICTOR VASARELY – "ZEBRES 1" ⚜ Serigraph ⚜ Hand Signed and Numbered ⚜ Edition of 120 VASARELY’S ICONIC ZEBRAS Created in 1976 and published by the Foundation Vasarely in an edition ...
Screen
$3,036
H 30.71 in W 26.78 in
Victor Vasarely (1906–1997) - Vega 222 - Coloured serigraphy on paper - 1970
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Varese, IT
Coloured serigraphy on paper, edited in 1972. Limited edition of 267 copies, numbered ad 29/267. Signed in pencil by artist in lower right corner. Paper size: 76 x 66 cm Framed size...
Paper, Screen
$1,500
H 21.5 in W 30 in
Two Tigers on Green, Op Art Screenprint by Victor Vasarely
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Victor Vasarely, Hungarian (1908 - 1997) Title: Two Tigers on Green Year: 1980 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 250, CL I...
Screen
Victor Vasarely: Untitled, Basf Luran on aluminum
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Miami, FL
Victor Vasarely Star Series BOGLAR, ca. 1970 BASF Luran on aluminum Ed, 269 of 500 Editions Pyra AG Dorfstrasse 63 8126 Zumikon Switzerland 29 x 29 in
Metal
Erebus Sculpture OP ART
By Victor Vasarely
Located in CANNES, FR
Victor VASARELY 1906 - 1997 EREBUS - 1982 Verre et bois Signature gravée sur le verre et numérotation sous la base "/2000" Edition Rosenthal studio-linie, Allemagne Dans sa boîte...
Glass
$882Sale Price|48% Off
H 14.97 in W 12.01 in
Tecoma - 1972 - Victor Vasarely - Lithograph
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Roma, IT
Tecoma is a wonderful colored lithograph with a black, blue, pink abstract composition realized by Victor Vasarely in 1972. The plate is from the portfolio Octal edited by Bruckmann...
Lithograph
$1,280
H 12 in W 12 in D 2 in
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...
Screen
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| $1,959 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $398-$7,020 |
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