Víctor Vasarely

Vasarely is considered one of the fathers of optical art (op art), an abstract art based on optical illusions to deceive the viewer's eyes. This self-portrait needs to be viewed through a photographic lens, so we recommend using the photo function on your mobile phone to see it.

Born in Hungary, Vasarely studied at the prestigious Mühely School in Budapest, which was heavily influenced by the Bauhaus movement. From his studies, the future artist drew two fundamental lessons: the functionalism of art, whose aim was to beautify the urban environment, and the tendency towards abstraction.

In 1930 he settled in France, where he spent his entire career.

He began to work as a graphic designer in the world of advertising, seeking optical illusion through three-dimensional effects and superimposing printed layers of cellophane, one on top of the other, to give the illusion of depth.

Co-founder of the Denise René Gallery, he holds his first exhibition there, showing mainly graphics and drawings. He achieves a remarkable success that allows him to become a full-time artist and the gallery to become his regular showroom.

Vasarely was the first artist to develop a certain constructive abstraction based on geometric forms such as the square, the circle or the hexagon, with which he achieved three-dimensional images that seem to come out of his paintings. The artist plays with the viewer's perception, making him a participant in his creation. The main objective of his works is movement (kinetic art), which he achieves on the basis of his knowledge of mathematical laws. The artist himself applied the adjective "breathing" to his works, trompe l'oeil that manage to be easy to understand for all audiences.

Exhibited work

"Self-portrait", 1975
Coloured silkscreen