No. 5

Victor Vasarely (1906–1997) was a Hungarian-French painter, graphic artist, and sculptor. He grew up in Slovakia, but lived most of his life in France. He continued the geometric abstraction of František Kupka and Kazimir Malevich and transformed it into a new direction: Op Art, or optical art.

Using geometric shapes and colorful graphics, he created impressive illusions of spatial depth. Vasarely's painting technique also drew from a number of influences, including the principles of Bauhaus design and constructivism.

Early in his artistic career, Vasarely experimented with light and shadow, and black was his favorite color. This early graphic period resulted in works such as Zebras (1937), Chessboard (1935), and Girl-power (1934).

He chose colors with mathematical precision – his goal was to create optical illusions and deceive human vision. Victor Vasarely's work influenced not only architecture and promotional art but also decorative art and fashion.

In fine art, he is considered one of the representatives of kinetic art and Op Art, a movement utilizing knowledge from geometry and optics. He died at the age of 90 on March 15, 1997, in Paris, France.