Biography

Born in Hungary, Victor Vasarely studied in Budapest and settled in Paris in 1930. He worked as a commercial artist in 1940, during which time he became interested in visual effects and illusions, extending his exploration of this to painting in 1943. Around 1947, Vasarely began painting the geometrical abstractions, with which he is associated. Initially he drew inspiration from the cracked tiles he looked at every day, while waiting for the underground train in Paris. He is known as the father of Op Art, a style incorporating optical effects to create a sense of movement.