Influenced by his upbringing in Judaism as well as the teachings of the Bauhaus, Yaacov Agam is a pioneer of kinetic art as well as the Op art movement and is often credited with introducing geometric abstraction to his home country of Israel.
Born in Rishon LeZion, Palestine — now part of Israel — the son of a rabbi, Agam found that the spiritual world had a major influence on his art practice, as did the sand dunes he grew up watching as they constantly shifted with the wind. This perpetual movement would inform his work, whereby riveting, prismatic compositions that transform from different perspectives, patterns that generate optical effects and sculptures that move with a passing breeze all reflect the gradual changes in nature.
Agam studied with Israeli painter Mordecai Ardon at the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem in the 1940s before traveling to Zurich where he trained with Swiss Expressionist painter Johannes Itten and was inspired by the abstract work of Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky.
One of the innovative techniques Agam developed was the Agamograph, which uses lenticular printing so that multiple images, which are revealed as the viewer moves around the piece, can be seen on a single work. His art has regularly involved the spectator as a participant, whether it’s the 1972–74 room-size kinetic installation he created for the Elysée Palace that’s now in the Centre Pompidou in which a gleaming abstract sculpture is surrounded on all sides by polychromatic lines or it’s public art like the 1986 Fire and Water Fountain in Tel Aviv with circles of vibrant panels that offer varying colors from every angle.
In 2018, the Yaacov Agam Museum of Art opened in Rishon LeZion, showcasing six decades of Agam’s influential work that engages with perception through color, shape and form, from paintings, prints and installations to new experiments in interactive digital art.
Find a collection of Yaacov Agam art today on 1stDibs.
$110,090
Image externe-interne by Yaacov Agam, 1964, Acrylic on mobile coloured slats
By Yaacov Agam
Located in London, GB
Yaacov Agam Image externe-interne, 1964-1966 Acrylic on mobile coloured slats; artist's frame Signature on the reverse 54 x 148.6 cm 21 1/4 x 58 1/2 in
Acrylic
Colorful Kinetic original oil on wood round painting by Yaacov Agam
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Jerusalem, IL
This mesmerizing kinetic piece by Yaacov Agam exemplifies his pioneering approach to visual perception and movement. the work is constructed with a dynamic, circular structure that ...
Wood, Oil
$37,155Sale Price|50% Off
Tactile Bleu - Mixed, Media, Oil on board with springs, 40 painted metal discs
By Yaacov Agam
Located in London, GB
Yaacov Agam Tactile Bleu, 1964 Oil on board with springs and 40 painted metal discs Signed and titled 55.9 x 78.7 x 2.5 cm 22 x 31 x 1 in
Metal
Image au Carre, Geometric Kinetic Painting by Yaacov Agam
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Image au Carre" or "Square Image" is an original painting on linen mounted to wood by Israeli Kinetic artist, Yaacov Agam. The painting is signed, titled and dated verso and signed/...
Wood, Acrylic
“Spiral movement”
Located in Zofingen, AG
Red fish move towards each other, forming a closed circle — a spiral — a space of eternal movement, interaction, equilibrium and balance. This is an image of cyclicality, reciprocity...
Canvas, Acrylic
Rising Tondo, circular
By Ilya Bolotowsky
Located in New York, NY
Ilya Bolotowsky is an important and highly recognized hard edge american abstractionist. He experimented with diamond shaped canvases and circular works as well as square formats wi...
Wood, Acrylic
$400
H 33.08 in W 23.23 in D 0.79 in
Captivated: Art Deco, Modern, Abstract, Colorful, Minimalism, Invest, Bold, Joy
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Captivated Art Deco, Modern, Abstract, Colorful, Minimalism, Invest, Bold, Joy, Captivated, Beauty, Enchanted, Enthralled, Vivid, Bold This series connects to that around as...
Oil, Acrylic, Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Stretcher Bars
$4,200
H 23.5 in W 36 in D 2.5 in
Turnabout: Abstract Geometric 3D Wooden Wall Sculpture in Green, Grey & Beige
By Stephen Walling
Located in Hudson, NY
Abstract geometric three-dimensional wood wall sculpture in bright pastel hues of sage green, light grey, and beige "Turnabout", hand-carved wooden wall sculpture by Hudson Valley ar...
Wood, Dye, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Tripillya bul
Located in Zofingen, AG
The Trypillya bull is an image of a primordial totem of power associated with the earth, fertility and cosmic order. The bull is a sacred creature in the Trypillya culture, a guardia...
Canvas, Acrylic
Geometric Abstract Original Oil on Canvas 1980s
Located in Soquel, CA
Geometric Abstract Original Oil on Canvas 1980s This unknown artist expertly explores the tension between bold physical presence and quiet, open space. Dominated by deep, matte black...
Canvas, Oil
$3,900
H 24 in W 42 in D 2 in
Piquant: Abstract Geometric 3D Wooden Wall Sculpture in Red, Pink, Peach, Maroon
By Stephen Walling
Located in Hudson, NY
Abstract geometric three-dimensional wood wall sculpture in bright hues of red, peach, pink, maroon, white and beige Piquant, hand-carved wooden wall sculpture by Hudson Valley artis...
Wood, Dye, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$3,600
H 35 in W 24 in D 2.5 in
Peekin (Colorful Abstract Geometric Wood Wall Sculpture in Blue, Green & White)
By Stephen Walling
Located in Hudson, NY
Abstract geometric three-dimensional wood wall sculpture in shades of blue, green, teal, with contrasts of white "Peekin", made by Hudson Valley artist, Stephen Walling, in 2020 35 x...
Wood, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$5,000
H 36 in W 40 in D 2.5 in
Sargasso ( Abstract New Brutalism 3D Wooden Wall Sculpture in Blues and Greens)
By Stephen Walling
Located in Hudson, NY
"Sargasso" hand-carved wooden New Brutalism wall sculpture by Hudson Valley artist, Stephen Walling, made in 2013 36 x 40 x 2.5 inches Carved wood and ac...
Wood, Dye, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$5,500
H 36 in W 36 in
Israeli Op Art Kabbalah Mandala Painting Jerusalem, 5732 Star of David Judaica
By Yakov Kaszemacher
Located in Surfside, FL
Ya'acov Kaszemacher, well-known artist and photographer whose unique images of Hassidic festivities are fascinating to view, and offer one an opportunity to peek into the community...
Oil
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
H 40 in W 30 in D 0.13 in
Mid-Century Abstract Expressionist Composition with Blue, Purple, and Pink
By Les Anderson
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid-Century Abstract Expressionist Composition with Blue, Purple, and Pink Colorful mid-century abstract expressionist painting by Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009...
Masonite, Oil
$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
LOVE STAR OF DAVID
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Aventura, FL
Original gouache painting on paper. Hand signed lower front by Yaacov Agam. Image size 20.25 x 18.5 inches. Sheet size 29 x 22.2 inches. Frame size approx 33 x 31 inches. Cert...
Paper, Gouache
Colorful polymorph Yaacov Agam work 3D Kinetic art
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Jerusalem, IL
A colorful work in a kinetic style by Yaacov Agam. From every angle you can see a different illustration. The piece is framed in transparent Plexiglas
Mixed Media
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 paint...
Plywood
Sold
H 31.3 in W 41.93 in D 2.37 in
One and Another - Kinetic Op Art Serigraph Signed & Numbered by Yaacov Agam
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Atlanta, GA
Original Op Art artwork serigraph (silkscreen print on paper) by Yaacov Agam titled "One and Another" from the same name collection. This fantasy optical illusion art by Agam, with m...
Parchment Paper, Ink
Blue/Violet #8
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Yaacov Agam, Israeli (1928 - ) Title: Blue/Violet #8 Year: circa 1990 Medium: Unique Silkscreen on Canvas Mounted to Board, Signed lower center Size: 18 x 20 inches Fram...
Acrylic, Screen