You must know Victor Vasarely’s works, the inventor of the Optical art, these works playing with geometrical shapes and colors to create systematic and scientific optical illusions.
During the exhibition, Centre Pompidou told us everything about the big steps of the artist’s life from his training following the Bauhaus movement to his latest innovations around the fourth dimension via a chronological tour.
We went back to the 30’s when Vasarely comes to Paris for his job as a graphic artist for advertising agencies. During WWII, he rubs shoulders with Breton, Prévert and is interested in – among others – Kandinsky, Mondrian, Malevitch and Klee.
It is in this context he imagines the Op’ art, these systematic and almost scientific optical illusions likely to make objects sold. Lines, ellipses, ovals, squares and lots of black and white, matte, make your eyes lost and make visitors dive into a parallel universe. If Vasarely created small paintings, true experiences can be made in the installations filling the space, from the floor to the ceiling like at the Fondation Vasarely in Aix-en-Provence.
Victor Vasarely created over 430 original and inalienable works as 20,000 paintings and sketchings each more mind-blowing than the last. David Bowie will even use one of his painting for the “Space Oddity” cover, a wonderful recognition that settled him as the leading figure of the 30 years of post-war economic growth pop culture.
What works will Centre Pompidou choose to describe the mind-blowing Vasarely? We visited the exhibition in 2019:
Centre Pompidou provides an 18-minute tour with the exhibition co-curator, Michel Gauthier (click here to watch the video).
Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.
Dates and Opening Time
Starts November 1, 2020
Location
Center Pompidou
centre pompidou
75004 Paris 4
Access
Metro line 11 "Rambuteau" station
Recommended age
For all
Official website
www.centrepompidou.fr
