Victor Vasarelys Alphabet Plastique

The French Institute in Budapest is exhibiting the works of Victor Vasarely through June. Born
in Hungary, Vasarely moved to Paris in 1930 and became a French citizen in 1959. There was a
time, just before and after World War ll, when the work of Vasarely and other abstract artists was banned in
Hungary. Vasarely studied medicine before turning his scientific mind to his art. Back in the
1950s, way before the digital age, Vasarely used what he called programmations to create his
artwork. Vlag and Pava are two serigraphs, for sale at Vertu, that are fine examples of the
artwork that Vasarely produced from his programmations.
Art must become generous and totally diffusible art must be truly
contemporary and not posthumous. From now on, the new technologies are here
to diffuse art instantaneously to the masses. Victor Vasarely
Vasarely was influenced by early to mid-twentieth century French painter, Auguste Herbin, who
created an Alphabet Plastique in 1942. Herbins Alphabet Plastique is a system in which each letter of the alphabet
corresponds to a specific color, geometrical form and musical notes. Herbins paintings became increasingly
abstract as he experimented with form and color using his Alphabet Plastique.
During the 1950s and early 60s, Vasarely worked primarily in black and white. Around 1960, Vasarely created his
own Alphabet Plastique, a grid-based system which used the circle, square and triangle, and differing color scales,
to create a infinite number of units. The Alph.t Plastique was the human equivalent of a computer art program.
Vasarely used the Alphabet Plastique to create the depth and optical design that is the signature of his artworks. At
Vertu we have, for sale, two unique pieces that use the Alphabet Plastique with unusual mediums:
Dyok Positif is acrylic on wood, in which each unit is defined by the shapes and shadows created by the medium
itself. Collage Vert also uses the Alphabet Plastique, but for this unique piece Vasarely used paper, rather than
paint, to create each unit. Keith Harings Signs and Symbols Victor Vasarely, 1976 Auguste Herbin (1882
1960)

Vasarely
La-Mi, from Bach suite, 1973
Screenprint in colors on gold colored paper,
Vasarely
29.5 X 24 inch.
Vilag 1978
Serigraph
32.5 X 30 in

Vasarely - Vilag 1978 Serigraph 32.5 X 30 in.

Edition of 27

Victor Vasarely
Victor Vasarely Untitled, c1978
Victor Vasarely Dyok Positif, 1967
Collage Vert, 1990 Acrylic on wood,
Collage on paper Victor Vasarelys relief multiple
9.75 X 9.75 in., Unique Alphabet Plastique 14.25 X 14.25 in.
Auguste Herbin
Edition of 50

Auguste Herbin