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.
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 5
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 5 double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white wood fra...
Paper
$33,609Sale Price|20% Off
Malyva Op Art Collage, Mixed Media on Archival Paper, Framed, 1956
By Victor Vasarely
Located in CANNES, FR
Victor VASARELY ( 1906 -1997 ) " MALYVA " collage de papiers de couleurs collés sur carton . 1956 . Signé et Daté 1956 . " UNIQUE WORK " 67 X 51 cm Framed vintage : 88 x 75 cm fa...
Archival Paper
Topaze noir négatif
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
$140,039
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
$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
Untitled Mod Op Art 1967 Painting on Silk
By Henry Pearson
Located in Surfside, FL
Label from Obelisk Gallery verso. Henry C. Pearson (October 8, 1914 – December 3, 2006) was an American abstract and modernist painter. Pearson was born in Kinston, North Carolina, ...
Silk, Paper, Mixed Media
$4,434
H 10.63 in W 9.85 in D 1.19 in
La Dame Étonnée Mixed Media Collage, Signed, Art Deco, 1950s Framed
By Jean Cocteau
Located in CANNES, FR
Jean Cocteau ( 1889 - 1963 ) " la Dame étonnée " . Mix Media découpage signed by Jean Cocteau . work : 10 x 10 cm Framed: 27 x 25 cm . Collage original , déc...
Mixed Media, Photographic Paper
$88,000
H 41.5 in W 41.5 in D 2 in
Richard Anuszkiewicz Metallic Water 1960s Op Art painting Art Institute Chicago
By Richard Anuszkiewicz
Located in New York, NY
Richard Anuszkiewicz Metallic Water, 1964 Painting with Liquitex on canvas. (1964 Art Institute of Chicago Exhibition and J.L. Hudson Gallery) Signed boldly and dated 1964 on the ver...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Canvas
Miles Davis Plays Cool Jazz
By Stephen Longstreet
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Miles Davis Plays Cool Jazz Collage, c. 1970 Unsigned Titled by the artist lower left margin (see photo) Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by his friend and patron Joseph...
Magazine Paper
Unavailable|$18,000
H 27 in W 35 in D 0.8 in
Yaacov Agam, Fascination, Prismograph
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Tel Aviv, IL
Yaacov Agam,Fascination, Prismograph, Op art, Colored work, International artist, Israeli artist, Israeli art. Op art pioneer Yaacov Agam’s abstract artworks—which range from painti...
Plywood
$991
H 39.38 in W 17.33 in D 1.58 in
Italian Vintage Musicians Silhouettes Mixed Media Paintings on Paper
Located in Firenze, IT
Two very pleasant musical themed silhouettes mixed media paintings. These lovely drawings are made of ink and watercolor on paper enriched by a musical score fixed with a red lacquer wax mold...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
$1,353
H 24.02 in W 16.93 in
Jean Cocteau Mixed Media Collage on Archival Paper, Signed, 10/13
Located in CANNES, FR
13BIS . Novembre 2022 collage et impression numérique jet d'encre pigmentaire sur papier coton 310g . numéroté 10/13. et signé au dos par 13bis . 13bis , street artiste collagiste ...
Archival Paper
181
By Jenny Day
Located in New Orleans, LA
JENNY DAY is a painter who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She earned an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Arizona, a BFA in Painting from the University of Alaska Fa...
Paper
$700
H 7.5 in W 10.5 in D 1.25 in
Borrowed Landscapes Study No. 205/The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
By Nina Tichava
Located in Denver, CO
Nina Tichava is a pattern-based, abstract painter primarily focused on spatial relationships that emphasize the inherent surface quality, color, and visual variations in her work. Sh...
Acrylic, Postcard, Pen, Graphite
$5,200
H 41 in W 57.5 in D 2 in
Grey tinted Rainbow, Geometric Abstract dazzling Op Art Framed assemblage Signed
By Richard Anuszkiewicz
Located in New York, NY
RICHARD ANUSZKIEWICZ Grey Tinted Rainbow, 1992 Assemblage with 14 Color Silkscreen and Lithograph Pencil signed and numbered 11/40 on the front Frame included: elegantly framed in a ...
Mixed Media, Pencil, Lithograph, Screen
Salgo negatif
By Victor Vasarely
Located in PARIS, FR
Éditions Denise René edition no. II/X, Signed. Presented at the exhibition “Vasarely - Le partage des Formes”, in 2019 at the Centre Pompidou. p.224 of the catalog Relief in wood pa...
Wood, Acrylic
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 3
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 3 double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white wood frame perfect condition very nic...
Paper
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 1
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 1 double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white wood frame perfect condition very nic...
Paper
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 2
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 3 double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white wood frame perfect condition very nic...
Paper
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 4
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 4 double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white wood frame perfect condition very nic...
Paper
Victor Vasarely Kinetics A
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics A From serie : Kinetics A/ B/ C/ D double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white woo...
Paper
Victor Vasarely Kinetics A
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics A From serie : Kinetics A/ B/ C/ D double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white woo...
Paper
Victor Vasarely Kinetics B
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics B From serie : Kinetics A/ B/ C/ D double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white woo...
Paper
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 5
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 5 double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white wood frame perfect condition very nic...
Paper
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 3
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 3 double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white wood frame perfect condition very nic...
Paper
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 4
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 4 double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white wood frame perfect condition very nic...
Paper
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 2
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Victor Vasarely Kinetics 3 double screen print on rhodoid and cardboard editions of the griffon neuchatel (switzerland) 1st edition . 1973 white wood frame perfect condition very nic...
Paper