Maab Studio d`Arte are currently running an exhibition of the works of first-generation Op Artist Alberto Biasi.

Politipo – Alberto Biasi – 1972 – 60cm x 60cm

The exhibition is comprised of works from his ‘Polytypes’ series.  Given that most of the works come from private collections it was no mean feat to collect together the works for the exhibition.

The Polytypes series was started in the 1960s and was a series that Biasi revisited in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.  With each visit, the series changed an became increasingly articulated, but the essential characteristic remains which is the creation of the perception of movement created by the subtle movements of the observer.

Insieme – Alberto Biasi – 1991 – 80x75cm

Alberto Biasi featured recently in shows such as “Italian Zero & Avangarde ’60s” at the Museum Multimedia Art in Moscow and in Rome at the National Gallery of Modern Art in the exhibition “Art Kinetic and Programmed by Munari, Biasi, Colombo…”

Un Insieme Geometrico – Alberto Biasi – 2010 – 78x74cm

The exhibition is on from October 13, 2012 to November 16, 2012.

Maab: Riviera San Benedetto 15, 35141 Padova, Italy

Entrance is free.  Wednesday to Saturday from 16.30 to 19.30 or by appointment.

You can see some more of Alberto Biasi in the Op Art Gallery

The Laura Russo Gallery in Portland Oregon, USA is currently running an exhibition by Seattle based ‘first-generation’ Op Artist Francis Celentano.

In the 1960s Francis was the Professor of Painting at the University of Washington and it was there that he began to develop his interest in color theory.  This interest in turn led to his Op Art style of painting.  Francis was quickly recognised as being an important artist in the Op Art movement and his work was featured in the hugely influential exhibition ‘The Responsive Eye’.  More recently, Francis’s work was featured in two major Op Art retrospectives: “Optic Nerve: Perceptual Art of the 1960s” (Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio) and “After Image: Op Art of the 1960s” (Loretta Howard Gallery, New York).

Francis is alive and well today and is still actively painting.

“Seattle artist Francis Celentano’s latest exhibition The Gemini Series presents mesmerizing images that further cement his position in the history of and resurgent interest in Op Art. In this show, Celentano’s acrylic paintings involve the concept of overlapping two identical patterns, and reorienting. He explored the pattern relationships initially using a computer program, and then migrating the designs to his paintings. The series evolves from the intersection of grey and white patterns, to a transformation through a variety of color ranges including blues, greens and reds. As a whole, The Gemini Series of fused patterns generates a dramatic tension in a variety of ways expressed differently by each painting”

Laura Russo Gallery – 805 NW 21st Ave., Portland Oregon, 97209

Tue – Fri 11 – 5:30, Saturday 11 – 5, & by Appointment. Entrance is free.

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