Skip to main content

Op Art

OP ART STYLE

The Op art movement emerged in the 1960s, mirroring the counterculture of the time in its embrace of visual trickery, graphic shapes and bright colors.

Spreading across Europe and the Americas, the style — whose name is short for “optical art” — influenced advertising, fashion and interior design before fading in the early ’70s.

Op art remained significant, however, for artists and scientists interested in the nature of perception. And today, it’s seeing a resurgence of interest from collectors and interior designers.

Op artists played with the principles of perception, manipulating line, shape, patterns and color to create the illusion of depth and movement. They drew on and evolved methods developed by past movements, from Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism, to produce intense visual experiences.

All the Op artists shared a focus on the gap between what is and what we perceive. Each, however, had a distinct approach to the issue and a unique visual style.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Op art that includes works by Josef Albers, Bridget Riley, Jesús Rafael Soto and more.

to
78
102
124
319
146
97
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
664
123
1
6
78
328
153
31
117,907
64,549
56,621
28,640
14,581
9,627
6,898
6,035
4,181
3,158
2,548
2,315
2,144
604
306
232
196
40
23
15
10
8
8
7
6
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
478
124
96
96
76
148
69
47
44
36
125
314
595
175
Style: Op Art
Vertigo, Victor Vasarely

Vertigo, Victor Vasarely

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Victor Vasarely (1908-1997) Title: Vertigo Year: 1982 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 88/325, plus proofs Size: 26.75 x 22.75 inches Condition: Good Inscription: ...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Five Visual Orchestrations, Yaacov Agam

Five Visual Orchestrations, Yaacov Agam

By Yaacov Agam

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Yaakov Agam (1928) Title: Five Visual Orchestrations Year: 1990 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 12/72, plus proofs Size: 30.25 x 42 inches Condition: Good Inscrip...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Tri-Vega
Tri-Vega

Tri-Vega

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Miami, FL

TECHNICAL INFORMATION Victor Vasarely Tri-Vega 1975 Silkscreen on Arches paper 33 1/4 x 30 1/8 in. Edition of 250 Pencil signed & numbered Accompanied with COA by Gregg Sh...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

"Test 2"

"Test 2"

By (After) Victor Vasarely

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: offset lithograph (after Vasarely). Printed in 1972 in Neuchatel, Switzerland on thick, high-gloss paper and published by Editions du Griffon for the "Vasarely Progressions 1...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Offset

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Palo Alto, CA

Victor Vasarely Untitled, c. 1970-79 is a glazed porcelain multiple that is hand-signed by Victor Vasarely (Hungary, 1906 – France, 1997) and is numbered from the edition of 50 on ve...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Porcelain

Art Deco Pastel Mirrors, Turquoise and Pink Geometric Tiles Patterns, Symmetry
Art Deco Pastel Mirrors, Turquoise and Pink Geometric Tiles Patterns, Symmetry

Art Deco Pastel Mirrors, Turquoise and Pink Geometric Tiles Patterns, Symmetry

By Natalia Roman

Located in Barcelona, ES

These series of paintings by Natalia Roman gather their inspiration from geometric, minimalist shapes and paintings from the beginning of Modernism, with a special emphasis on Art Deco shapes of the 30's, 40's and 50's. The subtle but chic color combinations will combine beautifully with both vintage and modern furniture without overtaking spaces that are carefully crafted by designers. Natalia Roman was born in 1984 in Girona, Spain. She has exhibited in galleries across Europe and her colorful, abstract paintings are part of private collections all over the world. Details: Title: Art Deco Pastel...

Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

FACE, from Portfolio 9m Classic 1960s Op Art lithograph signed/n renowned artist
FACE, from Portfolio 9m Classic 1960s Op Art lithograph signed/n renowned artist

FACE, from Portfolio 9m Classic 1960s Op Art lithograph signed/n renowned artist

By Henry Pearson

Located in New York, NY

Henry Pearson FACE, from Portfolio 9, 1964 Color lithograph with deckled edges Signed, titled, and numbered 84/100 in graphite pencil on the front; with publishers' blind stamp 17 1/2 × 22 1/10 inches Publisher Irwin Hollander, with blindstamp Hand Signed and Numbered 84/100 with Irwin Hollander (printer) Blindstamp Unframed Henry Pearson's iconic Pop Art lithograph "Face" from the mid-Sixties is in the permanent Collection of the Museum of Modern Art as well as other public institutions. This Classic Sixties psychedelic designed Op Art lithograph was created as part of the legendary 'Portfolio 9' in 1967 - one of the most influential eras in 20th century art. It was housed in a gray cloth-colored box with maroon paper inner panels and a large maroon "9" designed by Richard Lindner on the cover. Portfolio 9 featured nine of the most important artists of the era, representative of the three major trends: Pop Art, Minimalism and Abstract Expressionism: Roy Lichtenstein, Saul Steinberg, Richard Lindner, Robert Motherwell, Henry Pearson, Louise Nevelson, Sam Francis, Willem de Kooning- and Ellsworth Kelly. The Introduction to the portfolio was written by Una E. Johnson, Curator of Prints & Drawings, The Brooklyn Museum. Johnson wrote in 1967 for the colophon page: "The artists were selected to demonstrate the great diversity and character of lithography in the United States today... the dialogue of diverse forms and many faceted idioms that compose this graphic journal mirror the eloquence and delight the strengths and caprices of a period. Furthermore, they reflect in fine measure the creative achievements of artists attuned to their time." The lithograph offered here has superb provenance: it comes directly from 'Portfolio 9', numbered 84/100. This is the very first time since 1967 that this hand signed & numbered print will be separated from the original portfolio presentation box. According to the description of this print in the catalogue raisonne, "Organized as a celebration of Irwin Hollander's collaboration with American artists working in the medium of lithography, the Portfolio 9 is a compendium of images by nine of Hollander's artist collaborators. Henry Pearson Biography: Henry Pearson was born in Kinston, North Carolina in 1914. He studied art at the University of North Carolina where he received his B. A. and later at Yale University where he received an M. F. A. Pearson spent over eleven years in the army during and after WWII. On one tour of duty in Japan he was assigned to interpret topographical maps due to his past training in Theatrical Set Design. He returned to Japan on another tour after the war in order to immerse himself more fully in the culture. Pearson returned to the United States in 1953 and enrolled at the Art Students League in New York where he studied with Reginald Marsh. The Op-Art Movement was beginning to gain popularity and Pearson...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph, Pencil

Untitled 8, Abstract Geometric Screenprint by David Roth
Untitled 8, Abstract Geometric Screenprint by David Roth

Untitled 8, Abstract Geometric Screenprint by David Roth

By David Roth

Located in Long Island City, NY

This screenprint was created by American artist David Roth. Roth's images are proportioned according to a strict mathematical formula - the pictures are composed according to horizon...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Owl, Circa 1970 - Op Art-Inspired Geometric Composition
Owl, Circa 1970 - Op Art-Inspired Geometric Composition

Owl, Circa 1970 - Op Art-Inspired Geometric Composition

Located in Firenze, IT

Owl, Circa 1970 - Op Art-Inspired Geometric Composition Date: Approximately 1970 Medium: Gouache on cardboard with embossed stamp Dimensions: H 64 cm x W 49 cm approx. A stylized o...

Category

Late 20th Century Op Art

Materials

Gouache, Illustration Board, Cardboard

Desert Icon II
Desert Icon II

Desert Icon II

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Desert Icon II Screen print, c. 1968 Signed, titled and numbered in pencil (see photos) Edition 100 (17/100) Printed by the artist This image is the most elaborate of three color var...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Luna, Abstract Geometric Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren
Luna, Abstract Geometric Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

Luna, Abstract Geometric Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Luna Year: 1977 Edition: AP Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Image Size: 17.5 x 17.5 inches Size: 20 x 20 inches

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Architecture Kinetic Statue of Liberty Op Art Screen Print Lithograph Pol Bury
Architecture Kinetic Statue of Liberty Op Art Screen Print Lithograph Pol Bury

Architecture Kinetic Statue of Liberty Op Art Screen Print Lithograph Pol Bury

By Pol Bury

Located in Surfside, FL

Pol Bury (Belgian, 1922-2005) screen print of Statue of Liberty Hand signed and numbered 27/ 62 in pencil Dimensions: 24.25 X 17.5 inches. (sheet size) Provenance: Published by Lefebre Gallery, New York. lithographie en couleurs. Signées et numérotées 27/62. This is just for the print. the title sheet is just included for reference. Pol Bury (1922 – 2005) was a Belgian sculptor who began his artistic career as a painter in the Jeune Peintre Belge (along with Willy Anthoons, James Ensor, Odette Collon, Pierre Alechinsky, Jo Delahaut and Jean Rets...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen

"Olympic Star" Large Scale Woman Surfer Figurative by Erle Loran
"Olympic Star" Large Scale Woman Surfer Figurative by Erle Loran

"Olympic Star" Large Scale Woman Surfer Figurative by Erle Loran

By Erle Loran

Located in Soquel, CA

"Olympic Star", Large Scale Woman Surfer Figurative by Erle Loran Vibrant hard edge painting of a surfer "Olympic Star," a bold and bright figurative piece by Erle Loran (American,...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

5 Blue Boxes Illusion Sculpture
5 Blue Boxes Illusion Sculpture

5 Blue Boxes Illusion Sculpture

By Sanseviero

Located in Southampton, NY

Sanseviero's metal sculptures fool the eye. His "illusion sculptures" are amazingly only 1/16th of an inch thick and yet they appear to be 3 dimensional boxes with open centers that ...

Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Metal, Enamel

TR-UR, Victor Vasarely

TR-UR, Victor Vasarely

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Victor Vasarely (1908-1997) Title: TR-UR Year: 1980 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 116/250, plus proofs Size: 39.25 x 30.75 inches Condition: Good Inscription: S...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Polarization, OP Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren
Polarization, OP Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

Polarization, OP Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Polarization Year: 1981 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 150 Image Size: 18 x 25 inches Size: 22 x 29.5 ...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Night Nurse, Large Magritte-like Surreal Painting by Backstrom aka Beck o Jung
Night Nurse, Large Magritte-like Surreal Painting by Backstrom aka Beck o Jung

Night Nurse, Large Magritte-like Surreal Painting by Backstrom aka Beck o Jung

By Holger Bäckström

Located in Long Island City, NY

An oil painting by Holger Bäckström from 1979. A mixed media collage and oil painting produced by the company Beck & Jung, a collaborative duo between Holger Bäckström and Bo Ljungberg in the 1960's-70's. Their emphasis on highly designed optical art-style is eminent in the objects produced from Beck & Jung. Artist: Holger Bäckström and Bo Ljungberg (aka Beck & Jung), Scandanavian (1939 - 1997 and 2007) Title: Night Nurse...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

2 +3 = 4, 1981
2 +3 = 4, 1981

2 +3 = 4, 1981

By Yaacov Agam

Located in Palo Alto, CA

Yaacov Agam 2 +3 = 4, 1981 offers another excellent example of the artist’s ability to induce the illusion of movement through color and pattern. By combining a multicolor palette wi...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Energetic Influence (Cut-out, Collage, Black & White, Patterns, Negative Space)
Energetic Influence (Cut-out, Collage, Black & White, Patterns, Negative Space)

Energetic Influence (Cut-out, Collage, Black & White, Patterns, Negative Space)

By Louise Marler

Located in Kansas City, MO

Louise Marler Energetic Influence Archival Pigment Print Epson UltraChrome Archival Inks on White Metallic Archival Stock 2022 Edition: 10 Size: 20x16inches Signed and numbered by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1695 *Separate Edition of 10 in size 10x8in available. Please inquire within. ** Framing Options available. Please inquire within. Tags: Cut-out, collage, black and white, patterns, negative space, organic Louise Marler’s photo-based Mixed Media art, is iconic visual vocabulary. Au-thentic style has led to exhibits, art collections and events which integrate his-tory, education, and entertainment. Raised in a family that collected, sold and repaired typewriters. These and other analog, vintage machines are part of her personal history and led naturally to becoming part of the subject matter of her visual expression. Louise Marleris inspired by Americana and also influenced by pop art and technology. “I developed my unique art style in a Santa Monica Airport (former mechanic) hanger turned art studio. I currently live and work in St. Louis where antique row meets the most progressive art...

Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Tulip and Bees (Cut-out, Collage, Black & White, Patterns, Negative Space)
Tulip and Bees (Cut-out, Collage, Black & White, Patterns, Negative Space)

Tulip and Bees (Cut-out, Collage, Black & White, Patterns, Negative Space)

By Louise Marler

Located in Kansas City, MO

Louise Marler Tulip and Bees Archival Pigment Print Epson UltraChrome Archival Inks on White Metallic Archival Stock 2022 Edition: 10 Size: 20x16inches Signed and numbered by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1694 *Separate Edition of 10 in size 10x8in available. Please inquire within. ** Framing Options available. Please inquire within. Tags: Cut-out, collage, black and white, patterns, negative space, organic Louise Marler’s photo-based Mixed Media art, is iconic visual vocabulary. Au-thentic style has led to exhibits, art collections and events which integrate his-tory, education, and entertainment. Raised in a family that collected, sold and repaired typewriters. These and other analog, vintage machines are part of her personal history and led naturally to becoming part of the subject matter of her visual expression. Louise Marleris inspired by Americana and also influenced by pop art and technology. “I developed my unique art style in a Santa Monica Airport (former mechanic) hanger turned art studio. I currently live and work in St. Louis where antique row meets the most progressive art...

Category

2010s Op Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Wifredo Lam, The Horse Woman, from XXe siecle, 1979
Wifredo Lam, The Horse Woman, from XXe siecle, 1979

Wifredo Lam, The Horse Woman, from XXe siecle, 1979

By Wifredo Lam

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Wifredo Lam (1902–1982), titled La Femme Cheval (The Horse Woman), from the album XXe siecle, Numero special, Wifredo Lam, Nouvelle serie, XLIe Annee, No...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Victor Vasarely Screen Print Abstract, Geometric Squares Cubes Hexagon
Victor Vasarely Screen Print Abstract, Geometric Squares Cubes Hexagon

Victor Vasarely Screen Print Abstract, Geometric Squares Cubes Hexagon

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Detroit, MI

Victor Vasarely born in 1906 was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely accepted as a "grandfather" and leader of the Op Art movement. Op Art is a form of abstract art that gives the illusion of movement by the precise use of pattern and color, or in which conflicting patterns emerge and overlap. Victor Vasarely and Brigit Riley are its most famous exponents. In its visual balancing act of color and movement from a flat plane to developed continuous flow “Untitled” is a complex arrangement of squares and colors that visually expand and contract. It is one of Vasarely’s most successful Op Art abstract works. The piece is signed on the lower right and number 20/150 on the lower left. The print is behind glass and matted. Vasarely was born in Pecs and grew up in Slovakia and Budapest, where in 1925, he took up medical studies. Abandoning medicine he turned to traditional academic painting at the private Podolini-Volkmann Academy. In 1928/1929, he enrolled at Sandor Bortnyik’s private art school widely recognized as Budapest's centre of Bauhaus studies. His studies concentrated on applied graphic art and typographical design. In 1929, he painted his Blue Study and Green Study. In 1930, he married his fellow student Claire Spinner (1908–1990). Together they had two sons, Andre and Jean-Pierre. Vasarely became a graphic designer and a poster artist during the 1930s combining patterns and organic images with each other. Vasarely utilized geometric shapes and colorful graphics, the artist created compelling illusions of spatial depth, as seen in his work Vega-Nor (1969). Vasarely’s method of painting borrowed from a range of influences, including Bauhaus design principles, Wassily Kandinsky, and Constructivism. In the late 1920s, Vasarely enrolled at the Muhely Academy in Budapest, where the syllabus was largely based on Walter Gropius’s Bauhaus school in Germany. After settling in Paris in 1930, Vasarely worked in advertising agencies to support himself as a graphic artist while creating many works including Zebra (1937), which is considered by some to be one of the earliest examples of Op Art. The artist experimented in a style based in Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism during the 1940s, before arriving at his hallmark checkerboard...

Category

Mid-20th Century Op Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

Untitled Mod Op Art 1967 Painting on Silk
Untitled Mod Op Art 1967 Painting on Silk

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, ...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Silk, Paper, Mixed Media

Thermal Inversion, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren
Thermal Inversion, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

Thermal Inversion, Op Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Thermal Inversion Year: 1980 Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 140 Image Size: 18 x 25 inches Size: 22 x 29...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Op Art art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Op art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Victor Vasarely, Roy Ahlgren, Victor Debach, and Yaacov Agam. Frequently made by artists working with Screen Print, and Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Op Art, so small editions measuring 2 inches across are also available. Prices for art made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $66 and tops out at $350,000, while the average work sells for $1,616.