Victor Vasarely, Acquaforte/Acquatinta on paper, 1971

The painter and graphic artist Victor Vasarely is one of the founders of Op-Art, and is one of its most important representatives, alongside artists like Jesús Rafael Soto, Yaacov Agam and Josef Albers.

Born in Pécs, Hungary, in 1906, Vasarely started his artistic training at the Podolini-Volkmann Academy, a private school of drawing in Budapest, before Sándor Bortnyik introduced him to the Bauhaus concept. In his early years as an artist, the works of Josef Albers and Wassily Kandinsky had a lasting impression on him.
He moved to Paris in 1930, where he lived until his death in 1997.
To start with, he worked as a graphic artist, produced zebra studies and carried out his initial optical experiments. He then turned away from figurative painting and developed his unmistakable style: optical image patterns paired with kinetic effects.
From the mid-1940s onwards, Vasarely presented his works in Paris for the first time. In the decades that followed, he showed his art around the world as part of exhibitions.
His most well-known projects include his black and white creations, the “plastic alphabet” and “Vegas”.
His works are to be found in numerous collections held by international cultural institutions, such as Chicago’s Art Institute or London’s Tate Gallery."
The etching/aquatint on paper we offer, is signed and numbered 57/90, 1971 ca. It comes from a private collection and according to the informations we were able to collect it was printed in two colours, from a copper plate by the printer 2RC in Rome. The paper is Rosaspina paper made in Fabriano. The edition is 90 pieces plus 25 as author's proof.
The title 'Presenza grafica' is probably not original.
We got the work framed, but without glass protection: as can be seen on the pictures there is a tiny dark stain on the top left corner. Under the signature the paper is marked, as if the glass protection hit the paper.
There are two very slight abrasions to the paper (probably due to a clumsy attempt at cleaning with an eraser) at the bottom corresponding to the row of raised white circles.