In the 1960s a group of abstract artists led by Richard Anuszkiewicz (American, born 1930) and Victor Vasarely (Hungarian, 1906–1997) began controlling the relationships between colors and shapes in their works to produce particular optical effects. A visual feast, their works engage both the eye and the mind with the illusion of movement. Known as Op Art, Optical Art, or Perceptual Abstraction, these works play with our senses; our mind recognizes that they are flat and two-dimensional, but the artistic distortions cause us to "see" vibrating form and color in three-dimensions.

The Op Art movement grew from the explorations of artist and mathematician Josef Albers, (American, born Germany, 1888–1976) who began investigating the psychological effects of how the human eye processes the placement of color and space. Using abstract visual cues, Albers, the Op Artists, and the successive abstract artists featured in the exhibition all use utilize simple lines, shapes, and bands or blocks of color to play with our perceptions through works of art that pulse and shift with movement. 

Museum Hours

Tuesday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Thursdays 10 a.m.–9 p.m.
Sunday 12 p.m.–5 p.m.
Admission is free!

Source: MMFA