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Victor Vasarely

 
Biography

1906   Born April 9th in Pécs, Hungary.
1925-29   Studies medicine at the University of Budapest for two years, then studies art at the Podolini-Volkmann Academy in Budapest.
1929   Enrols at Alexander Bortnyik’s Mühely Academy, widely recognised as the centre of Bauhaus studies in Budapest.
1930-34   Moves to Paris, where he works as a graphic artist. Begins his 'Zebra' studies and engages in his first optical experiments. Marries Claire Spinner in 1931. Their first child André is born the same year. A second son, Jean-Pierre, is born in 1934.
1944-45   In 1944, inaugurates the Galerie Denise René in Paris with a solo exhibition, and in 1945 participates for the first time in the Salon des Surindépendants.
1946-50   Moves decidedly towards constructivist and geometric abstract art, inspired by artists such as Malevitch, Moholy-Nagy and Walter Gropius. Publishes his first edition of prints.
1951-59   Works predominantly in black and white. In 1955 publishes his 'Yellow Manifesto' and receives the Critics Award in Brussels and the Gold Medal at the Milan Triennial. Completes a series of murals for the University of Caracas in Venezuela, as well as several architectural integrations such as 'Hommage à Malevitch'.
1960-70   Receives the International Guggenheim Award in New York (1964). Completes several architectural projects, including one for the French pavilion at the World Expo in Montreal, Canada (1967). Participates in many group exhibitions, incuding Documenta III in Kassel, Germany (1964) and, most notably, 'The Responsive Eye' at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, USA (1965).
1971-75   Inauguration of the Vasarely Museum in Gordes, France.
Publishes the four volumes of 'Plasti-cité' and receives the International Art Book Award for two of the volumes in 1971 and 1975.
1976-82   Inauguration of the Vasarely Foundation in Aix-en-Provence, France (1976) and the Vasarely Museum in his hometown of Pécs, Hungary (1978). Creates 154 prints that are transported into space aboard the Soyuz 7 by a French-Soviet team of cosmonauts.
1987   Inauguration of the Vasarely Museum at the Zichy Palace in Budapest
1997   Dies March 15th in Paris, France.


Selected exhibitions

1944   Galerie Denise René, Paris, France.
1948   ‘Tendences de l’Art Abstrait’, Galerie Denise René, Paris, France.
1955   ‘Le Mouvement’, Galerie Denise René, Paris, France.
Galerie Der Spiegel, Cologne, Germany.
1958   ‘50 Ans d’Art Moderne’, Palais International des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1959   Galerie Der Spiegel, Cologne, Germany.
Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela.
‘Inaugural Selection’, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA.
1963   'L'Unite Plastique’, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France.
1964   Documenta III, Kassel, Germany.
‘Vasarely et l’Art Social’, Académie des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France.
Pace Gallery, New York, USA.
1965   ‘The Responsive Eye’, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA.
Kunsthalle, Bern, Switzerland.
1966   Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA.
1967   ‘Lumière et Mouvement’, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville, Paris, France.
‘Multiples’, Galerie Denise René, Paris, France.
1968   ‘Vasarely’, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA.
‘10 Ans d’Art Vivant, 1955-65’, Fondation Maeght, St Paul-de-Vence, France
1969   ‘Folklore Planétaire’, Galerie Denis René, Paris
Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary.
1970   ‘From Renoir to Vasarely’, Salon d’Automne, Grand-Palais, Paris, France.
1972   ‘Exposition de Sérigraphies et de Multiples’, Philadelphia Art Museum, USA.
Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA.
Galerie Denise René, Paris, France.
1977   Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, Venezuela.
1979   ‘The Optic Art of Vasarely’, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, USA.
1980   ‘The Art of Victor Vasarely’, Midland Center of Arts, Midland, Michigan, USA.
1986   ‘Vasarely’, National Museum of Fine Arts, Algiers, Algeria.
Galerie der Stadt Esslingen am Neckar, Germany.
1987   ‘Victor Vasarely’, Okresné Museum, Prague, Czech Republic.
‘Vasarely’, Esterhazy Castle, Eisenstadt, Austria.
1992   ‘Victor Vasarely: Retrospective’, Kunstforum Vienna, Austria.
‘Le Mouvement’, Fondation Maeght, St-Paul-de-Vence, France.
1995   ‘Victor Vasarely: 50 Years of Creation’, Musée Olympique, Lausanne, France.
1996/7   ‘Vasarely: Hommages’, Musée Communal des Beaux-Arts, Charleroi and Fondation Vasarely, Aix-en-Provence, France.
1997/8   ‘Vasarely: Erfinder der Op-Art’, Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen, Kunstverein Wolfsburg and Joseph Albers Museum, Bottrop, Germany.
1998   ‘Vasarely: Geometrie, Abstraktion, Rhythmus. Die Fünfziger Jahre’, Ulmer Museum, Ulm, Germany.
2000   ‘Vasarely’, Fundacion Juan March, Madrid, Spain.
2001   ‘Vasarely Inconnu’, Palais Bénédictine, Fécamp, France.
2003   ‘Victor Vasarely’, Robert Sandelson, London, England.
2004   ‘Victor Vasarely: Parcours 1930-1980’, La Fondation Demeures du Nord, Lille, France.
‘Victor Vasarely: Black and White Paintings from 1950s’, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, USA.
‘Victor Vasarely: Founder of Op Art’, Naples Museum of Art, Naples, Florida, USA.
2005  

‘The Kinetic Eye: Optical and Kinetic Art 1950-1975’, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Strasbourg, France.

‘Victor Vasarely in Black and White’, Robert Sandelson, London, England.

2006   ‘The Expanded Eye’, Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland.