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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.

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Style: Op Art
DOR-OR, Victor Vasarely
DOR-OR, Victor Vasarely

DOR-OR, Victor Vasarely

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Victor Vasarely (1908-1997) Title: DOR-OR Year: 1982 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 96/325, plus proofs Size: 42.75 x 23.5 inches Condition: Good Inscription: Si...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Purple v. 1, OP Art Silkscreen by Babe Shapiro
Purple v. 1, OP Art Silkscreen by Babe Shapiro

Purple v. 1, OP Art Silkscreen by Babe Shapiro

By Babe Shapiro

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Babe Shapiro, American (1937 - 2016) Title: Purple v. 1 Year: 1972 Medium: Silkscreen, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 75 Image Size: 28 x 28 inches Size: 35 x 3...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Sanctuary

Sanctuary

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Signed, dated, titled and numbered in pencil Edition: 150 (80/150) 15 color silk screen 12" round Provenance: Estate of the Artist By decent

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Julian Stanczak Blue Op Art Screen Print
Julian Stanczak Blue Op Art Screen Print

Julian Stanczak Blue Op Art Screen Print

By Julian Stanczak

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Julian Stanczak Blue Op Art Screen Print screenprint Pencil signed (lower right) edition numbered 20/165, measures 28" x 28". Black frame under Plexiglas. Julian Stanczak American/Polish, 1928-2017. Julian Stanczak explores the visual, psychological, and emotional resonance of color in his Op art paintings, through which he aims to induce a “color meltdown,” as he describes: “I want to fuse many colorants and their gradations into a single color experience.” Influenced by Josef Albers and Russian Suprematism...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

TRIDIM Gris
TRIDIM Gris

TRIDIM Gris

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Fairlawn, OH

TRIDIM Gris Screen print, 1986 Signed in pencil lower right (see photo) Edition: 200 (76/200) From: portfolio enetitled "35 ans apres" Printed at Atelier Arcay, Paris, France Publisher: Park West Gallery...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Ascension
Ascension

Ascension

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Ascension" 1978 is a color serigraph on paper by noted American artist Roy Ahlgren, 1927-2011 It is hand signed, titled, dated and numbered 34/65 in pencil by th...

Category

Mid-20th Century Op Art

Materials

Screen

CSW 2024.4  (Aquatic whisper of emerald artichoke turquoise green grid painting)
CSW 2024.4  (Aquatic whisper of emerald artichoke turquoise green grid painting)

CSW 2024.4 (Aquatic whisper of emerald artichoke turquoise green grid painting)

By Melisa Taylor Metzger

Located in Quebec, Quebec

The series "CSW" explores the marriage of chance-derived gestures with exacting grid geometry. Built upon a multilayered convergence of airbrush painting and hard-edge techniques on...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Op Art

Materials

Spray Paint, Acrylic

Bellatrix
Bellatrix

Bellatrix

By Victor Vasarely

Located in OPOLE, PL

Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) - Bellatrix Silkscreen / Serigraph from 1969. Dimensions of work: 46 x 40 cm. Hand signed. The work is in Excellent condition.

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Geometric Composition - Lithograph by Richard Lohse - 1970s

Geometric Composition - Lithograph by Richard Lohse - 1970s

Located in Roma, IT

Geometric Composition is an original mixed colored lithograph realized by  Richard Paul Lohse in the 1970 s Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 200 pieces. Godd conditions exceptf...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

serigraph

serigraph

By (After) Victor Vasarely

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: serigraph (after the painting). Printed in 1968 and published by the (op)art galerie of Esslingen, Germany for a rare portfolio. Size: 9 1/2 x 7 7/8 inches (240 x 200 mm). No...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Screen

"Quasar Paal 2"

"Quasar Paal 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, 1959/84

Untitled, 1959/84

By Carlos Cruz-Diez

Located in Miami, FL

Carlos Cruz-Diez (1923-2019) Original silkscreen print, signed and numbered Title: Untitled, 1959/84 From: Exacta. Dal Costruttivismo all'arte sistematica 1918-1985 Media: Silksc...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Image-miroir (Mirror Image), 1965
Image-miroir (Mirror Image), 1965

Image-miroir (Mirror Image), 1965

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Palo Alto, CA

Created in 1965, this sculpture is hand signed by Victor Vasarely (1906 – 1997) in black ink on one of the aluminum panels in the lower right (nearest to the center cross-section); f...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Metal

Heatwave, 1979, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson
Heatwave, 1979, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson

Heatwave, 1979, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson

By Barry Nelson

Located in Long Island City, NY

Heatwave Barry Nelson, British/American (1937) Date: 1979 Etching with Aquatint on Arches, signed, titled, numbered and dated in pencil Edition of AP Image Size: 29.5 x 20.25 inches ...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Regalion, 1983, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson
Regalion, 1983, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson

Regalion, 1983, Etching with Aquatint by Barry Nelson

By Barry Nelson

Located in Long Island City, NY

Regalion Barry Nelson, British/American (1937) Date: 1983 Etching with Aquatint on Arches, signed, titled, numbered and dated in pencil Edition of 15/15 Image Size: 29.5 x 20.25 inch...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

serigraph

serigraph

By (After) Victor Vasarely

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: serigraph (after the painting). Printed in 1968 and published by the (op)art galerie of Esslingen, Germany for a rare portfolio. Size: 9 1/2 x 7 7/8 inches (240 x 200 mm). No...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Screen

The Fifty Years 8 "Chillán"

The Fifty Years 8 "Chillán"

By Victor Vasarely

Located in OPOLE, PL

Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) - Olla II Silkscreen / Serigraph from 1989. Edition of 250. Dimensions of work: 47 x 37.5 cm Reference: Catalogue Raisonné Vol I par Pedro Benavides n...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Island Jewel
Island Jewel

Island Jewel

By Jon Kuhn

Located in Long Island City, NY

A polished glass sculpture by Joh Kuhn from 1992. A spectacular sculpture of crystal clear glass that forms a complicated prism in which light is reflected in a multitude of optical ...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Glass

Yaacov Agam, Progression, from XXe siecle, 1971
Yaacov Agam, Progression, from XXe siecle, 1971

Yaacov Agam, Progression, from XXe siecle, 1971

By Yaacov Agam

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Yaacov Agam (1928-2026), titled Progression, from the album XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXXIIIe Annee, No. 37, Decembre 1971, originates from the 1971 ed...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Boxed, from Twelve Progressions
Boxed, from Twelve Progressions

Boxed, from Twelve Progressions

By Julian Stanczak

Located in Miami, FL

Technical Information: Julian Stanczak Boxed, from Twelve Progressions 1971 Screenprint 26 1/2 x 26 1/2 in. Edition of 90 Pencil signed and numbered Accompanied with COA by Gregg S...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Big Sur, OP Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren
Big Sur, OP Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

Big Sur, OP Art Screenprint by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Bir Sur Year: 1981 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 150 Image Size: 18 x 25.5 inches Size: 22.5 x 30 in...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled

Untitled

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Palo Alto, CA

Combining patterns reminiscent of tessellation and a large grid-like system, Vasarely turns a plain hexagon into a concave surface. Shades of light and dark play across the 'facets' ...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Wood, Acrylic

Allegro, Op Art Serigraph by Roy Ahlgren
Allegro, Op Art Serigraph by Roy Ahlgren

Allegro, Op Art Serigraph by Roy Ahlgren

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Roy Ahlgren, American (1927 - 2011) Title: Allegro Year: 1986 Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 23/100 Image Size: 18 x 25.5 inches Size: 22.5 x 30 in...

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Peano Curves - Lithograph by Bruno Munari - 1991
Peano Curves - Lithograph by Bruno Munari - 1991

Peano Curves - Lithograph by Bruno Munari - 1991

By Bruno Munari

Located in Roma, IT

Screen print realized by Bruno Munari in 1991. Hand-signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of 100. Excellent condition.  Bruno Munari (October 24, 1907 in Milan – September 30, 1...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

Helios, 1967
Helios, 1967

Helios, 1967

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Palo Alto, CA

This magnificent work by Victor Vasarely displays an intricate interplay of green optical figures against a clear background in a three-dimensional medium. It offers a fascinating vi...

Category

1960s Op Art

Materials

Plexiglass, Screen

Compounded Red

Compounded Red

By Julian Stanczak

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Signed and numbered in pencil Publisher: Eugene Shuster, London Arts Printer: Vistec Graphics, Rochester, New York Stamp verso: London Arts Copyright 1980 Edition: 175 (85/175)

Category

1980s Op Art

Materials

Screen

VICTOR VASARELY - OEUVRES PROFONDES CINETIQUES VIII - 1973
VICTOR VASARELY - OEUVRES PROFONDES CINETIQUES VIII - 1973

VICTOR VASARELY - OEUVRES PROFONDES CINETIQUES VIII - 1973

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Pembroke Pines, FL

Artist: Victor Vasarely Title: Profound Works VIII 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...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Screen

Op Art 1971 Kinetic Oil Painting Pop Art Artist
Op Art 1971 Kinetic Oil Painting Pop Art Artist

Op Art 1971 Kinetic Oil Painting Pop Art Artist

By Josef Levi

Located in Surfside, FL

Josef Alan Levi (1938) is an American artist whose works range over a number of different styles, but which are unified by certain themes consistently present among them. Josef Lev...

Category

1970s Op Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled Op Art Drawing, Pantone Ink on Archival Paper, 1999, Unframed
Untitled Op Art Drawing, Pantone Ink on Archival Paper, 1999, Unframed

Untitled Op Art Drawing, Pantone Ink on Archival Paper, 1999, Unframed

By John Kalymnios

Located in White Plains, NY

'Untitled' by John Kalymnios, 1999. Pantone ink on paper, 78.5 x 51.25 in. (framed). This geometric op art drawing features bands of concentric circles with the full spectrum colors ...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Ink, Archival Paper

Peano Curves - Lithograph by Bruno Munari - 1991

Peano Curves - Lithograph by Bruno Munari - 1991

By Bruno Munari

Located in Roma, IT

Screen print realized by Bruno Munari in 1991. Hand-signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of 100. Excellent condition.  Bruno Munari (October 24, 1907 in Milan – September 30, 1...

Category

1990s Op Art

Materials

Lithograph

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.