A new Michael James Kidner RA (1917-2009) – one of the original pioneers of Op art in the mid 1960s – exhibition has opened at the Flowers Gallery in London (Flowers, 82 Kingsland Road, London E2 8DP, +44 (0)20 7920 7777).  The exhibition runs from the 12th September 2012 to 20th October 2012.  Entrance to the exhibition is free and we would strongly recommend that you go to see this one if you are in London over this period.

3 Sets of Primaries – 1967 – Michael Kidner

“Dreams of the World Order, Early Paintings explores four areas of Michael Kidner’s painting practice: After Image, Stripe, Moiré and Wave. Works are predominantly from the 1960’s and are prime examples of Kidner’s progressive experiments with optical effects and rational procedures, inspired by his preoccupation with how space, pattern, and form function. A year after his death in 2009, a roll of paintings was discovered at his Hampstead Hill Gardens studio. This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to view these iconic works, (some of which have not been displayed since they were created,) alongside others from the same period.”

Blue, Green, Pink (Times Magazine) No.2 – c.1964 – Michael Kidner

Butterfly Wings – 1966 – Michael Kidner

Circle after Image – 1959-60 – Michael Kidner

Red Green and Blue – 1963 – Michael Kidner

Bridget Riley was recently awarded the prestigious Reubens prize and in honour of that The Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen, Germany is holding an exhibition of her work.  The pieces on display are from 1980 onwards and take up 12 rooms of the museum.  The exhibition runs from 1st July through to 11th November 2012.  It goes without saying that if you are anywhere near Seigen, this is one that should not be missed.

 “Bridget Riley herself conceptualized the exhibition in the Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen, which features work groups from 1980 on. In these groups of works, various strategies of lining up and intertwining stripes, rhomboid and curved figures, but also circles are presented. Riley has chosen a special form of presentation. By positioning juxtapositions of two or three pictures in a total of 12 museum rooms she intensifies the effects of color and shape through comparison. The result is an exciting and invigorating visual experience. The exhibition also includes two wall-sized paintings and a drawing encompassing an entire wall.”

Address

Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen
Unteres Schloss 1
57072 Siegen, Germany

Opening hours:

Tuesday through Sunday 11 – 6
Thursday 11 – 8
Closed on Mondays
Open on holidays

Admission:

Adults: 5.90EUR
Children (sixteen and under), students, and Siegen Pass holders: 4.60EUR
Group rates for groups of 10 or more: 4.10EUR per person
Families (parents with children under age 16): 11EUR

Information:

Telephone: +49 (0) 271 405 77 0
Fax: +49 (0) 271 405 77 32
E-Mail: info/at/mgk-siegen.de

Web: http://museumfuergegenwartskunstsiegen.de/index_e.php?mid=2

Richard Anuszkiewicz: “Recent Paintings and Sculpture” is currently running at the Eire Art Museum, 411 State Street, Eire PA 16501 (USA).  The exhibition is housed in the main gallery and runs from July 14th through to November 25th 2012.

Anuszkiewicz was born in Eire and studied art at the Eire Technical High School under Joseph Plavcan.  Although now living in Englewood, N.J.,  Anuskiewicz, 82, maintains a strong connection with his home town.

If you are anywhere near Eire then I would strongly recommend that you go to see the work of one of the true Op Art pioneers.  Richard Anuszkiewicz’s works are held in museum collections all over the world, and he remains to this day one of America’s most revered painters.

Hours
Closed on Mondays
Tuesday – Thursday, 11 am to 5 pm
Friday, 11 am to 9 pm
Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm
Sunday, 1 pm to 5 pm

Admission
Members – Free
Adults – $7
Seniors Citizens & Students – $5
Children under 5 – Free

“When the brilliant colors and geometric precision of Op Art appeared on the art scene in the mid-1960s, Erie native Richard Anuszkiewicz was the movement’s foremost American painter. His artwork explores the relationship between color and space, creating art that subtly challenges the audience’s visual perceptions. Over the years, Anuszkiewicz’s art has evolved, but he remains committed to the principles of mathematics, architecture and color theory that have always been essential to his work.

This exhibit draws from Anuszkiewicz’s recent works and shows his progression from paintings to sculpture from the 1980s to present. “I sometimes refer to my painting as architectural, because I work out my plan, I work out my idea, and then I go about constructing the painting,” Anuszkiewicz said of his work in the 1970s. At this time he began to break out of a strictly rectangular format, creating knot-shaped and plus-sign shaped works, leading him to paint on shaped canvases. Shaped canvases gave way to painted wood, and eventually steel, constructions. Many of these works bear the title “Translumina,” and in these works, he begins to concern himself more with illusions of transparency rather than color transfer. As this series developed, a form of sculpture emerged that resembles colored drawings in the air—transparent intersecting boxes suggesting forms similar to his shaped canvases.”

‘Courting Colour‘, a new exhibition of the works of Op and Abstract Artist Barrie Cook, opens at the Newman Street Gallery (London) on 11th July 2012 and runs through to August 4th 2012 [UPDATE – exhibition now open until 15th September 2012].  Gallery opening hours are Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm.  Entrance to the exhibition is free.  The exhibition is curated by Sandra Higgins.

Newman Street Gallery
Lower ground, 18 Newman Street, London, W1T 1PE
(Below the newly opened space ‘The Piper Gallery’)

“Barrie Cook has been working in form and colour for over 60 years. He is masterly at combining vivid pigments many times in juxtaposition with dynamic forms applied to the canvas using his unique semi-industrial spray gun process. Through this method, he achieves an extraordinary high degree of subtlety creating the illusion of movement and mystery.

Cook’s gradated bands play tricks on the eye – it is impossible to tell where the sprayed bars begin or end. In his larger paintings, the viewer is drawn into a physical space dominated by the work. His work has been described as being ‘rhythmic’, ‘pulsating’ and ‘sonorous’.

‘Painting is a way of thinking. Each picture requires its own special logic. I use paintings to hint at, or make manifest, the unseen and the intangible. I see them as an aid to contemplation and meditation.’ – Barrie Cook”

If you are in London during this period, I would highly recommend you take the opportunity to see the works of this talented and unique Op Artist.

The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes is currently hosting an exhibition titled ‘Real / Virtual’ showcasing Argentinian Kinetic Art from the 1950s through to the 1970s.  The exhibition runs from the 14th June 2012 through to the 19th August 2012.  Hours are Tuesday to Friday 12.30 to 8.30pm, Saturday and Sunday 9.30 am to 8.30pm.  Entrance to the exhibition is free.

The exhibition includes works from the Museum’s own collection acquired at the time the movement was in full flow in addition to pieces from private collections and other institutions.  The works on display date from the late 1950s through to the early 1970s.  The exhibition is curated by Maria Jose Herrera, head of the Research at the museum.

You can find out more about the exhibition here.  There is a good article about the exhibition here (in Spanish).

Thanks to Tony for pointing this out to me.