Cleveland Op Art Pioneers at Cleveland Museum of Art on artrepublic.com
Exhibition running from Apr 09 2011
until Feb 26 2012
An abbreviation for "Optical Art," Op Art is an appropriately eye-popping style whose goals are to stimulate and, at times, even to confound vision. Op artists test the boundaries of visual perception, often by creating abstract compositions with bold colours that seem to vibrate and dynamic patterns that appear to pulsate. During Op's heyday in the 1960s, several artists who studied and worked in Cleveland became internationally known for their vital contributions to the movement. In addition, Cleveland was home to the only artist collaborative in the United States devoted to Op Art. Drawn primarily from the CMA's permanent holdings and supplemented with loans from private collections, CLE OP: Cleveland Op Art Pioneers is a small focus exhibition showcasing work by key figures in the local Op Art scene during its formative years. The city operated as training ground and residence to several renowned Op artists, including Richard Anuszkiewicz, Francis Hewitt, Edwin Mieczkowski, and Julian Stanczak, all of whom studied and/or taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Cleveland also fostered the birth of the Anonima Group (Hewitt, Mieczkowski, and New York artist Ernst Benkert). In recent years Op Art has regained considerable critical momentum and been given its proper due. In fact, many now see Op as a crucial precursor to several contemporary trends in abstraction, particularly those launched by artists who embrace digital technologies and explore virtual realities. In addition, Op’s democratization of art—relegating the primary role of the art experience to the viewer—is today regarded as a highlight in modernist art history. Exhibitions held worldwide over the past few years attest to the rediscovery of Op, and perhaps not since Op’s heyday has there been a more apt time for the Cleveland Museum of Art to revisit this fascinating movement with strong Cleveland connections and international audiences. OPENING HOURS: Tue, Thur, Sat, Sun: 10.00 – 17.00, Wed & Fri: 10.00 – 21.00  |
