Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) - CTA 24, 1965

Victor Vasarely (1906-1997)

CTA 24, 1965

Signed “Vasarely” lower right.

Work accompanied by a certificate of authenticity established by Pierre Vasarely dated April 5, 2026.

A historic work by Victor Vasarely, created in 1965, CTA 24 constitutes a remarkable demonstration of the plastic research carried out by the artist at the heart of the 1960s on perception, color, movement and optical illusion.

The composition is based on a structure of absolute rigor: a regular grid of 21 columns by 21 rows, namely 441 circles of identical dimensions, ordered according to a precise geometric principle.

At first glance, the work seems to present a repetition of red circles on an intense blue background. Yet nothing here is a matter of simple repetition.

The shape and position of the circles remain unchanged. Only the progressive modulation of color intervenes.

From the bright orange-red that animates the perimeter of the composition to the deep and almost dark tones of its center, Vasarely constructs, through the sole power of chromatic contrasts, a striking illusion of depth.

No perspective, no shadow, no modeling: color alone generates volume.

The eye is gradually drawn toward the center of the work, which seems to sink into a limitless space. The deep blue of the background plays an essential role here: it becomes a true pictorial space in which the forms appear to float, vibrate and move.

Depending on the distance from which it is observed, the work is transformed. Up close, the eye distinguishes the rigor of the grid and the methodical succession of circles. By stepping back, the structure gradually fades in favor of a sensation of movement and depth.

The work then becomes a true visual experience.

The movement does not materially exist on the canvas: it is born in the eye and mind of the viewer.

This alliance between mathematics, geometry and perception constitutes one of the foundations of Victor Vasarely’s plastic language and fully participates in the research that would make him one of the major figures of Op Art.

Through the extreme simplicity of its vocabulary — a single form, a rigorous geometric framework and two dominant colors — CTA 24 achieves remarkable visual power.

The work masterfully illustrates Vasarely’s fundamental ambition: to create movement, depth and light without resorting to figurative representation, but solely through the rational organization of form and color.

PROVENANCE

J. L. Hudson Gallery, Detroit;

Argentina Hills, Miami, acquired from the gallery;

Then by descent to the current owner.

EXHIBITION

New York, Sidney Janis Gallery, Vasarely, January 5 – February 5, 1966, no. 43.

Presented in New York as early as 1966, only one year after its creation, CTA 24 thus benefits from a particularly remarkable exhibition history, to which are added a documented provenance and a certificate of authenticity established by Pierre Vasarely.

NOTA BENE — NOTICE TO COLLECTORS AND LOVERS OF KINETIC ART

Beyond its remarkable visual power, CTA 24 brings together several qualities particularly sought after by collectors: a creation dating from 1965, an essential period in Victor Vasarely’s research; a documented provenance; a historic exhibition at the Sidney Janis Gallery in New York as early as 1966; as well as a certificate of authenticity established by Pierre Vasarely dated April 5, 2026.

Through its geometric rigor, the exceptional intensity of its chromatic contrasts and the strength of the optical experience it offers, CTA 24 stands out as a work particularly representative of the fundamental research carried out by Victor Vasarely during the 1960s.

An exceptional work intended for the most demanding collectors and lovers of the great figures of modern art.

Dimensions: 80 × 80 cm