In 1968 Vasarely began his ‘universal structures’ series, which reflects his profound interest in quantum physics, the theory of relativity and astrophysics. In works such as Fény – meaning light in Hungarian – executed in 1973, he attempted to evoke the boundless universe of the galaxies. Taking as a basis the repetition of a unit consisting of a circle enclosed in a square, he created a grid which, when deformed, generates a three-dimensional abstract landscape with elevations and depressions. ‘Carried by the waves, I flee forward, sometimes towards the atom, sometimes towards the galaxies, crossing attractive or repulsive fields’. For Vasarely this dual illusionistic effect of convexity and concavity held a cosmic symbolism that evoked the expansion of the universe and the formation of stars and galaxies.

When he painted Fény, Vasarely was at the peak of his career. His wish to take his artistic ideas to the public space began to materialise and his name became synonymous with Op Art (optical art) following the success of his participation in the exhibition The Responsive Eye at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1965.

20th CenturyPaintingAcryliccanvas
Download image Print page

Related exhibitions

Victor Vasarely Victor Vasarely
Temporary Exhibition
Victor Vasarely. The birth of Op Art
From 7 June to 9 September 2018

Related content

Virtual tour
Victor Vasarely. The birth of Op Art
Special version to watch on mobile with VR glasses
Explore with your VR glasses this monographic exhibition devoted to Victor Vasarely, one of the principal exponents of Op Art.
Video
Victor Vasarely. The birth of Op Art
With Márton Orosz, curator of the exhibition
Publication
Victor Vasarely. The birth of Op Art
Publication released for the temporary exhibition Victor Vasarely. The birth of Op Art
Fény. Victor Vasarely
Fény
Victor Vasarely

©

VEGAP, Madrid

Terms of Use

The exploitation rights of the images correspond to the Fundación Coleccion Thyssen-Bornemisza, F.S.P. The Fundación authorizes the downloading of high-resolution images from its website for private use, use for educational and research purposes, and non-commercial uses.

Use for educational and research purposes is understood as the non-commercial or advertising use of images in presentations, conferences, school or university work, in classes at regulated education institutions, as well as in academic publications, with a circulation of less than 1,000 copies, provided that it is non-profit.

Non-commercial use is understood as the use of the images in a context where no profit, monetary or commercial, is generated, directly or indirectly.

Any use other than those indicated above will require the prior written authorization of the Fundación.

Any request for educational and research use or for non-commercial use (including academic publications), should be directed by email to the Museum Photo Library through the email address archivo.fotografico@museothyssen.org. This department manages the worldwide distribution of the images of the works of the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum and the management of their reproduction rights for those uses.

The user agrees to use the image of the website solely and exclusively for the purposes described above and in accordance with the following terms of use:

Terms of use

  • If the image is used for reproduction, the work must be reproduced in its entirety. The image may not be manipulated, deformed, modified or altered in any way. In particular, no superposition (of images or texts) on the reproduction is allowed.
  • The reproduction of a detail or part of the work may only be made with the prior written authorization of the Fundación. In this case, the credit line must include the following mention: “detail”.
  • Any total or partial reproduction of the images authorized by the Fundación must be accompanied by the following mention: Author's name. Title, Date © Coleccion Carmen Thyssen.
  • The user will send to the Museum Photo Library one (1) free copy of the edition, publication or reproduction to the following address: Archivo Fotografico, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Paseo del Prado, 8 28014 Madrid, Spain.
Download image