Victor Vasarely (1906-1997), Chessboard, 1979

Color serigraphy on plexiglass, dimensions: 71 x 71 x 2 cm; signed in marker underneath: Vasarely | 807/1500

There are objects in art that blur the line between artwork and design in a literal way. Utilitarian form vs. purely artistic form. "Checkerboard" by Vasarely, is a surprising, original proposal for a modern interior. The work was made at The Hillard Collection, London / Vasarely Center, New York. Victor Vasarely (1906 - 1997), Hungarian artist considered the founder of Op art. He studied in Budapest at the Muhely Academy, an art college with close ties to the Bauhaus, where he worked on optics and color. From 1930 he was active in Paris. One of the leading representatives of geometric abstraction, he was a forerunner of op-art, i.e. art operating with optical illusions. Since the 1950s, he tried to define it by formulating a series of manifestos. He referred to his abstract art as kinetic art, trying to create the impression of movement through the effects used in it. He created excellent works with geometric forms, playing with the viewer's eye through complex arrangements of patterns and colors. Vasarelli's innovation in the use of illusion and color earned him the French Order of the Legion of Honor and the Guggenheim Foundation Award, among others.