After the success of the exhibition “Beyond Infinity” – The Art of M.C.Escher, the Museum Herakleidon, Experience in Visual Arts will proceed in the presentation of the Hungarian-born French artist Victor Vasarely (1906-1997), internationally recognized as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. The exhibition, with the title Victor Vasarely “The Absolute Eye” commemorates the centennial of his birth and will be on display from November 11th 2005 to September 3rd 2006. The exhibition will consist of 3 phases:
Phase Ι – 11/11/2005 – 12/3/2006:
Phase I centers mainly on Vasarely’s serigraphy work. The artist believed in what he called a “social art”, not wanting art to be reserved for the “elite”. In his writings, he often stated his belief in the new way of disseminating art and the value of multiples.
Phase ΙΙ – 16/3/2006 – 18/6/2006:
Phase II uses multi-media to present the artist’s work, once again following Vasarely’s beliefs as presented in his writings. Vasarely understood the power of the moving picture and in 1967 stated: “The artist’s film will become the disseminable, optimal and optimistic work, a genuine common treasure”.
Phase ΙΙΙ – 22/6/2006 – 3/9/2006:
In Phase III, the museum visitor, while enjoying Vasarely’s works, experiences art hands-on and is invited to participate in the creation of “Op Art” images with the help of a computer. Vasarely foresaw the advent of this technology and regretted having been born a century too early.
Victor Vasarely is considered the leader of Op Art (opticokinetic art) a mathematically themed form of abstract art which developed in the early 1960s with an aim to stimulating the eye through a radical use of shapes and colours. Vasarely’s innovations in optical illusion and kinetic art have inspired many contemporary artists.
“The Absolute Eye” refers to Vasarely’s ability to see the world through a prism, translating shapes and forms into a set of basic “art elements”, which he captured and then used to convey his messages through his stunning images. As a result we too see in his works these universal elements and can easily identify with them.
Phase 1: November 11, 2005 – March 12, 2006
Phase 2: March 16, 2006 – June 18, 2006
Phase 3: June 22, 2006 – September 10, 2006
