Origins & Early Life

Victor Vasarely (French: [viktɔʁ vazaʁeli]; born Vásárhelyi Győző, Hungarian: [ˈvaːʃaːrhɛji ˈɟøːzøː]; 9 April 1906 – 15 March 1997) was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely accepted as a "grandfather" and leader of the Op art movement. His work titled Zebra, created in 1937, is considered by some to be one of the earliest examples of Op art. Vasarely was born in Pécs and grew up in Piešťany (then Pöstény) and Budapest, where, in 1925, he took up medical studies at Eötvös Loránd University. In 1927, he abandoned medicine to learn traditional academic painting at the private Podolini-Volkmann Academy.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 1928/1929, he enrolled at Sándor Bortnyik's private art school called Műller (lit. "Workshop", in existence until 1938), then widely recognized as Budapest's center of Bauhaus studies. Cash-strapped, the műhely could not offer all that the Bauhaus offered. Instead, it concentrated on applied graphic art and typographical design. In 1929, he painted his Blue Study and Green Study.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In 1930, he married his fellow student Claire Spinner (1908–1990). Together they had two sons, Andre and Jean-Pierre. Jean-Pierre was also an artist and used the professional name 'Yvaral...

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