VICTOR VASARELY-THE ABSOLUTE EYE

After the success of the exhibition “Beyond Infinity-The Art of M.C. E scher”, Herakleidon Museum processed to present the French Artist, of Hungarian origin, Victor Vasarely (1906-1997), who is internationally recognized as one of the most important artists of the 20th century.

Victor Vasarely is considered the undisputed leader of the Op Art movement, an interesting form of abstract, geometric art that includes optical illusions in the eye of the beholder. His innovations in color and optical illusion have influenced many contemporary artists. The “Absolute Eye” refers to Vasarely’s ability to see the world through a prism, translating shapes and forms into a series of basic visual elements, which he captured and then used to convey his messages though his amazing images. In this way, we also see in his works. These universal elements with which we can easily identify.

The exhibition, which was held on the centenary of his birth, was entitled “The Absolute Eye”, was divided into 3 phases. Fulfilling the visio9n of Victor Vasarely who, in the 1950’s, envisioned the active participation of the viewer and free access to art, we invited the art-loving people to come and enjoy his Art.   

Phase 1: 11-11-2005- 12-03-2006

This phase focuses mainly on Vasarely’s screen printing works. The artist believed in what he called “social Art”, as he did not want it to be a privilege only for the elite. In his writings, he often stated his belief in the dissemination of Art and the value of multiples.

Phase 2: 16-03-2006 / 18-06-2006

This phase uses multimedia to present the artist’s work, once again following his convictions as expressed in his writings and understanding the power of the moving image, he declared in 1967. The artist’s work will become the readable optimum, and optimistic work, a genuine, shared treasure. In this phase the museum visitors, while enjoying Vasarely’s works, experiences art through hands-on practice and is invited to participate in the creation of Op Art images, with the help of a computer. Vasarely predicted the emergence of this technology and regretted that it had been born a century earlier.

Phase 3: 22-06-2006 / 10-09-2006

For phase 3, Herakleidon Museum commissioned the department of Mathematics of the university of Leiden in the Netherlands to create a software program that will allow visitors, by selecting specific parameters (color, shape and words), to produce images according to the Vasarely’s work. After 1953, Victor Vasarely began to think about the possibility of creating a plastic language, which could be entered into a computer. He thus envisioned the creation of a machine, which could produce thousands of color combinations. The artist said: “Based on my programming, we will be able to recreate all my works, as well as the innumerable ones that will suggest the machine”.

For the realization of the exhibition, Herakleidon Museum collaborated closely with Mrs. Michele Vasarely, the artist’s daughter-in-law. It is worth noting that texts by the artist were also presented, enabling the visitor to understand Vasarely’s beliefs as a man and a philosopher.

During the exhibition, visitors had the opportunity to purchase from Museum’s shop, the complete catalog of the exhibition, a trilingual Greek, English, French edition.

VICTOR VASARELY

The artist was born in 1906 in the city of Pecs, Hungary. In 1925, he started his studies in fine Arts at the Rodolini-Volkmann Academy in Budapest. In 1928, he enrolled at the Muhely Academy, also known as the Budapest Bauhaus. After his first solo exhibition, in 1930, at the Kovaks Akos Gallery, Vasarely went to Paris and for the next thirteen years, devoted himself to the study of graphic design. In 1943, he began to work extensively in oil, creating abstract and allegorical works on canvas. During 1960s-1970s, his visual images became part of popular culture, having a profound effect on architecture, fashion, and generally the way we perceive things today. The breakthrough that came from his “kinetic” visual experiments and linear patterns transformed the flat surface into a world of endless possibilities, marking an entire era in Art history. Vasarely died in Paris in 1977, aged ninety-one. Although he achieved great fame, he insisted on making his art accessible to everyone. His moto was “Art for All”.