Victor Vasarely artworks and editions

Victor Vasarely was a Hungarian-French painter, graphic artist and sculptor. He is one of the founders and main representatives of Op-Art and was able to advance to one of the leading artists of the 20th century through his powerful geometric formal language.

Vasarely was born Gyözö Vásárhelyi in Hungary in 1906. He began his training as an artist in 1927 at a private drawing school in Budapest. He then moved to the "Mühely" ("Workshop") training school, where he was taught under the direction of Sándor Bortnyik and was profoundly influenced by the ideas of the Bauhaus taught there. In 1930 the artist moved to Paris. Here he worked as a commercial artist and conducted optical experiments. Vasarely finally turned away from figurative painting and developed his individual style.

Victor Vasarely created autonomous geometric abstractions, variations of which the artist used to create optical image patterns, which he enriched with kinetic effects. The artist came to the realization that one could evoke sensations in the viewer through geometric means, which could convey new ideas about energy, spatiality or matter. What is special about Vasarely's artworks and editions is how, through his arrangement of shapes and bright colors, he gives the human eye the impression of fluctuating movement and challenges the viewer to a conundrum.

Victor Vasarely's oeuvre includes various styles and influences. While he was initially inspired by the works of Josef Albers or Wassily Kandinsky, the artist found his way to a distinctive visual language, through which he blurred the boundaries between applied and free art. He was always interested in visual perceptual phenomena, which he provoked through grid forms and serial arrangements.

His artworks and editions can be found in numerous prestigious collections and cultural institutions around the world. In the 1970s and 80s, Victor Vasarely opened two museum institutions in his native city of Pécs and in Budapest's Zichy Castle.