VICTOR VASARELY
Untitled Hexagon, 1980's
Lithograph
13 x 11 1/2 ins 33.02 x 29.21 cm
Available at VFA
Victor Vasarely (1906-1997), a pioneer of the Op-Art movement, is being honored in Pécs, Hungary, the city of his birth.
The Zsolnay Light Festival, which is showcasing the works of Hungarian and international light artists, is commemorating the 120th anniversary of the birth of Victor Vasarely and the 50th anniversary of the Vasarely Museum.
An exhibit of rarely seen and lesser-known works by Vasarely are on exhibit at the m21 Gallery in Pécs alongside a selection of visual artworks by contemporary artists that pay tribute to Vasarely’s legacy.
The Light Festival, which runs through September 27, 2026, will will be followed by the 4th Pécs Fine Arts Biennale, which will feature a symposium focusing on Vasarely’s work The Colorful City.
Although Vasarely was born in Pécs, he grew up in Slovakia and studied medicine at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. Vasarely gave up his medical studies after just two years and studied painting at a private art school. He moved to Paris in 1930, where he had a successful career as a graphic designer.
His success allowed him to concentrate on his art and develop his artistic style, using light, lines, perspective and shadow. Though he worked on his style for many years, widespread recognition of his work only came in 1965, when his work was included n the hugely influential Op Art exhibition The Responsive Eye at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The Fondation Vasarely building in Aix-en-Provence, France was opened by Victor Vasarely in 1976, with the artist's hope that it would be a place of “art for all”. The building itself, and some of the artworks within the building, need restoration. Vasarely’s grandson, Pierre Vasarely, who has been CEO of the Fondation since 2009, is hoping that this year the Fondation will have the funding to continue restoration of the building and its contents. The Fondation is currently exhibiting Victor Vasarely’s work through November 1, 2026 and hopes that public support will help to fund the restoration.
An exhibit of Victor Vasarely’s work is currently on view at the Albertina Museum in Vienna, Austria. Dynamic Grids will be on view through November 11, 2026.
Op-Artist Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930-2020) has been honored with a state historical marker in his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania.
Anuszkiewicz began drawing at a very young age, attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and was awarded a Pulitzer Traveling Scholarship to study art in Europe in his senior year. Rather than travel to Europe, Anuszkiewicz chose to go to Yale, where he studied with the renowned artist, and color theorist Josef Albers, then chairman of the Department of Painting.
After graduating from Yale, Anuszkiewicz moved back to Ohio, earned a Bachelor of Science in Education at Kent State, in the hope of teaching to supplement his income as an artist. He moved to New York in 1957 and struggled for several years until success came after he was given a solo show at the Contemporaries Gallery in March 1960.
Like Vasarely, Anuszkiewicz’s work was included in The Responsive Eye exhibit at MoMA in 1965. He is considered one of the most important founders of Op-Art in America.
References:
Hungary Today. Zsolnay Light Festival to Mark 10 Years with Tribute to Victor Vasarely. May 10, 2026.
Art Forum. In Its Fiftieth Year, the Fondation Vasarely Eyes a Transformative Restoration. Art Forum/News Desk. March 16, 2026.
Valerie Myers. New Pa. historical marker will honor Erie artist credited with founding Op Art movement. GoErie. September 22, 2025.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the work of Victor Vasarely and Richard Anuszkiewicz available at VFA.
