Lot 178: Victor Vasarely (1908-1997)

Jong
signed, titled and dated 'Vasarely "JONG" 1962' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
81 x 81 in. (205.7 x 205.7 cm.)
Painted in 1962-1973.

Acquired from the artist by the present owner

Madame Michèle Vasarely will be including this work in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the artist.

Victor Vasarely is commonly (and rightfully) associated with the Optical Art movement that he originated and developed for over sixty years. In the 1950s and 1960s, Victor Vasarely was one of the most famous artists in the world. "He virtually took upon the role of France's "official artist", with the support of President and Mrs. Pompidou" (V. Wiesinger, Vasarely Inconnu, Paris, 2001, p. 9). A master of a dizzying number of mediums, Vasarely painted, sculpted, created large-scale installations, architectural projects and a staggering number of editioned prints and multiples.

Vasarely's work went through many stylistic changes from the late 1920s until the late 1950s. These early works presaged a generation of artists from Bridget Riley, Ellsworth Kelly and Myron Stout, to name just two. His early period is extraordinary on its own terms, but it is with the first mature Op Art paintings, such as Jone, that Vasarely's work would reverberated throughout contemporary art in the 1960's and early 1970's.

Jone is a masterpiece of visual complexity and optical effect, as the white and black are balanced perfectly to create a composition which excites the eye in both the details and in the overall effect. The surface radiates outwards and inwards, simultaneously suggesting three dimensional form, and radiating lines of force, like concentric circles in a body of water.

Vasarely stayed true to his vision until the end, despite the artworld turning away from his intense brand of abstraction in the 1970's. Undaunted, Vasarely created a singular oeuvre that both expanded the possibilities of hard-edged abstraction, while always retaining a clearly recognizable aesthetic. In today's growing and pluralistic artworld, one that embraces the new while simultaneously mining the past, Vasarely's time has come again, and his work has been the subject of numerous travelling international retrospectives in the last five years, as well as renewed market interest. Jone is an unparalleled and rare example of the artist's first and most powerful examples of the Optical Art for which he is best known.

Please note the correct date is 1962-1973. Madame Michèle Vasarely will be including this work in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the artist.