Victor Vasarely

Private Collection, Europe

New York, Sidney Janis Gallery, Victor Vasarely, 1968

This work is in very good condition overall. There are signs of handling and wear along the edges of the work. There are faint traces of craquelure in the pink areas on the left side and upper right area of the canvas. There is a fine layer of dust along the lower parts of the composition. Under UV light certain pigments fluoresce, notably a spot on the right edge 53 cm from the top right corner, a spot on the upper left quadrant 8 cm from the left edge and 60 cm from the top edge as well as along the left edge 66 cm from the top left corner. There is no evidence of restoration. Framed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Zador, a display of geometric abstraction, is an early example of Vasarely’s employment of the unité plastique – the artist’s iconic technique that involves the use of recurrent geometric shapes as “units” taking on varying colours and arrangements. In the present work, the circles provide a smooth, infinite flexibility which contrasts from the pointed, structured edges of the geometric squares. The varying sizes of the geometric shapes suggest the presence of a foreground and background that points to a three-dimensional pictorial space, yet such spatial possibility is denied by the use of flat colours in the picture. Such argument and interplay between the flexible and the defined, the structured and the infinite are characteristic of Vasarely’s artistic practice.

Famous for his paintings of optical illusions, Vasarely invites the viewers into his psychedelic canvases through the distinctive combination of flat geometric forms embellished with a play on light and shadow. An early example of the artist’s oeuvre, Zador is a magnificent painting that showcases an artist’s experimentation with colour, forms and spatial construction in the modernist age. The sheer scale and grandeur of the work itself is a force to be reckoned with. In Zador, the artist invites the viewer into a frank, open-ended discussion on the limitless configuration of “units” possible and challenges the viewer’s traditional perception of form and space. In the artist’s own words, art offers “…an intuitive equivalent of knowledge we cannot grasp.”