Tag: Yaacov Agam

Bridget Riley, Larry Zox, Victor Vasarely, and Yaacov Agam led Heritage Auctions’ recent online In Focus: Op Art Showcase Auction to modest success. The sale concluded on December 2, 2021. Here are some of the top lots from the auction.Bridget Riley, Untitled (Nineteen Greys A), 1968. Image from Heritage Auctions.Until 1960, Bridget Riley was primarily known as an Impressionist who depicted landscapes. In 1967, however, Riley began experimenting with color compositions, optical effects, and geometric abstractions. The use of intricate patterns along with vibrant colors in her paintings produced illusions of movement, which became a primary theme throughout her career. The goal of her art is to create a sense of vibration that can draw the viewer’s eye.Among the notable results of the recent Op Art auction was a signed screenprint work by Bridget Riley. This piece held the highest price in the auction, selling for USD 7,812. Executed in 1968, it depicts white polka dots against a gray backdrop.Victor Vasarely, Tsikos C, 1989. Image from Heritage Auctions.Though Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely studied medicine at Budapest University in his early 20s, he later embraced art at the Muhely Academy. While pursuing a career in art, he was heavily influenced by color theorist and artist Josef Albers and Wassily Kandinsky. Vasarely’s paintings depicted various dimensions and depth in color. This led Vasarely to be known as the “father of the Op Art movement.” The critical foundation of the Op Art movement was the interconnectedness of colors, forms, and patterns as a single element. Such composition is often found in many of Vasarely’s works.Although Vasarely’s early pieces in the 1950s and 60s focused on color theory, he went on to explore and push the limits of two-dimensional art. His work featured intricate and complex color patterns with a two-dimensional surface, providing the