Items Similar to Op Art 1971 Kinetic Oil Painting Pop Art Artist
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9
Josef LeviOp Art 1971 Kinetic Oil Painting Pop Art Artist1971
1971
About the Item
Josef Alan Levi (1938) is an American artist whose works range over a number of different styles, but which are unified by certain themes consistently present among them. Josef Levi began his artistic career in the 1960s and early '70s, producing highly abstract and very modernist pieces: these employing exotic materials such as light fixtures and metallic parts. By 1975, Levy had transitioned to painting and drawing still lifes. At first these were, traditionally, of mundane subjects. Later, he would depict images from art history, including figures originally created by the Old Masters. Around 1980, he made another important shift, this time toward creating highly precise, though subtly altered reproductions of pairs of female faces which were originally produced by other artists. It is perhaps this work for which he is most well known. Since around 2000, Josef Levi has changed the style of his work yet again: now he works entirely with computers, using digital techniques to abstract greatly from art history, and also from other sources.
Levi's works of art in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, NYC, the National Gallery of Art, and the Albright-Knox Museum, among many others. Levi's art has been featured on the cover of Harper's Magazine twice, once in June 1987, and once in May 1997.
Josef Levi received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1959 from the University of Connecticut, where he majored in fine arts and minored in literature. From 1959 to 1960, he served to a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and from 1960 through 1967 he was in the U.S. Army Reserves.
In 1966, he received the Purchase Award from the University of Illinois in 1966, and he was featured in New Talent U.S.A. by Art in America. He was an artist in residence at Appalachian State University in 1969, taught at Farleigh Dickenson University in 1971 and was a visiting professor of art at Pennsylvania State University in 1977. From 1975 to 2007, Levi resided in New York City. He now lives in an apartment in Rome, where he is able to paint with natural light as he was unable in New York.
From 1959 to 1960, Josef took some courses of Howard McParlin Davis and Meyer Schapiro at Columbia University which initiated him into the techniques of reproducing the works of the Old Masters. His first works, created in the 1960s, were wood and stone sculptures of women. His first mature works were abstract pieces, constructed of electric lights and steel.
In 1970, Levi's materials included fluorescent light bulbs, Rust-Oleum and perforated metal in addition to paint and canvas.
By 1980, Josef Levi's art had transformed into a very specific form: a combination of reproductions of female faces which were originally depicted by other artists. The faces which he reproduces may be derived from either portraits or from small portions of much larger works; they are taken from paintings of the Old Masters, Japanese ukiyo-e, and 20th-century art. Artists from whom he has borrowed include: Vermeer, Rembrandt, Piero della Francesca, Botero, Matisse, Utamaro, Correggio, Da Vinci, Picasso, Chuck Close, Max Beckmann, Pisanello, Lichtenstein. The creation of these works is informed by Levi's knowledge and study of art history.
Josef Levi's paintings from this period are drawn, then painted on fine linen canvas on wooden stretchers. The canvas is coated with twenty-five layers of gesso in order to produce a smooth surface on which to work. The drawing phase takes at least one month. Levi seals the drawing with acrylic varnish, and then he may apply layers of transparent acrylic in order to approximate the look of old paintings. After the last paint is applied, another layer of acrylic varnish is sprayed on to protect the work.
Most of the figures in his contemporary pieces are not paired with any others.
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK, NY
ALBRIGHT- KNOX GALLERY, BUFFALO, NY
ALDRICH MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, RIDGEFIELD, CT
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON, DC
BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART, BROOKLYN, NY
SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY, WASHINGTON, DC
CORCORAN GALLERY, WASHINGTON, DC
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME ART GALLERY, NOTRE DAME, IN
ARKANSAS ART CENTER, LITTLE ROCK, AR
HOOD MUSEUM OF ART, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, HANOVER, NH
BANK OF NEW YORK, NEW YORK, NY
CHRYSLER CORPORATION, DETROIT, MI
EXXON CORPORATION, NEW YORK, NY
AT&T CORPORATION, NEW YORK, NY
BOWDOIN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART, BRUNSWICK, ME
NEW BRITAIN MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, NEW BRITAIN, CN
STORM KING ART CENTER, MOUNTAINVILLE, NY
YALE UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM, NEW HAVEN, CT
- Creator:Josef Levi (1938, American)
- Creation Year:1971
- Dimensions:Height: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)Width: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:minor wear. please see photos.
- Gallery Location:Surfside, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU38212980262
Josef Levi
Josef Alan Levi (1938 – Present) Josef Alan Levi is an American artist, his works in the 1960s and early ‘70s were highly abstract and very modernist. He transitioned to painting and drawing still lifes. Mainly his work consisted of traditional, mundane subjects, then depicting images from art history, even including pieces originally created by the Old Masters. Levi has since shifted to creating highly precise, with subtly altered reproductions by other artists. This work is what is he most known for. The important themes seen throughout Levis work are the female form and the similarities in visual aesthetics. His works can be seen at the Museum of Modern Art, National Gallery of Art, among many others.
About the Seller
4.9
Platinum Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are 1stDibs' most experienced sellers and are rated highest by our customers.
Established in 1995
1stDibs seller since 2014
1,559 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Surfside, FL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Israeli 1970s OP Art Kabbala Painting "Jerusalem, 5732" (Star of David) JudaicaBy Yakov KaszemacherLocated in Surfside, FLYa'acov Kaszemacher, well-known artist and photographer whose unique images of Hassidic festivities are fascinating to view, and offer one an opportunity to peek into the community...Category
1970s Op Art Abstract Paintings
MaterialsOil
- 1970's Enamel Metal Vasarely Silkscreen Screenprint Axo Kinetic Op Art SculptureBy Victor VasarelyLocated in Surfside, FLVictor Vasarely (1908-1997) Axo This piece is hand signed and numbered circa 1972-1977 I have seen it described as enamel on steel and enamel on aluminium. it is a serigraph on meta...Category
1970s Op Art Abstract Paintings
MaterialsMetal, Enamel
- Vintage Chokk Mini C Original Op Art Vasarely Collage PaintingBy Victor VasarelyLocated in Surfside, FLVICTOR VASARELY (1908-1997) CHOKK-MINI C, 1988. Colored paper collage, signed in black ink lower right Titled, signed, dated and numbered 'VAS-440' on the verso; Frame: 24.75" x 18" ...Category
20th Century Op Art Abstract Paintings
MaterialsMixed Media
- Untitled Large Abstract Expressionist Color Oil Painting Tom LieberBy Tom LieberLocated in Surfside, FLIn 1974, Tom Lieber attended the University of Illinois and earned his M.F.A. Lieber then moved to San Francisco to fulfill his afinity with Ba...Category
1980s Contemporary Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Surrealist Woman Oil painting French-Moroccan Israeli Bezalel School PainterBy Simon AvissarLocated in Surfside, FLTwo Women. Colorful Surrealist Portrait Genre: Surrealism Subject: woman Medium: Oil Surface: Canvas Country: Israel Simon Avissar, painter, born 1948, Morocco. Moved to U.S.A. Wo...Category
20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Modernist Dry Pigment Plaster Lacquer Abstract Geometric Painting Gregg RobinsonBy Gregg RobinsonLocated in Surfside, FLGregg Robinson, American (born 1948) Canvas mounted on wood board work of art depicts geometric shapes and forms with a lacquered high gloss finish. Hand signed lower left and dated 1995. Dimensions: 24 X 24 X 1.75 in. GREGG ROBINSON The universe of visual art encompasses a huge spectrum of motivation and means of expression. Examples range from the most syrupy sentimentality to extremes of moral and intellectual confrontation. For me, the creative process is, on the simplest level, an aesthetic puzzle. Elements of the puzzle include contrast, color, visual texture, graphic pattern, and in some recent work, a simple cryptic symbolism. I have never been particularly interested in lyric or pictorial content, and though some of my work does contain undeniable spatial illusion, even that tends to be a by-product rather than a goal of the primary pursuit: the balance of light and dark, pure color and organic neutrals, energy and calm, strong pattern and subtle field. Having grown up in an environment of contemporary architecture, I have always valued the classic modern synthesis of form and function exemplified by the Bauhaus movement of the early 20th century. Hence, the simplest solutions are often the most satisfying. Obviously, the modernist ideal of efficiency in form and function requires that method of execution be as well adapted to the aesthetic goal as the visual language itself. The media before you is the result of many years of experimentation that came to its current form in early 1992. I work with dry pigment over a plaster surface. My tools are broad knives, sponges, rags and masking. The finish is a high gloss alkyd resin. His prints have been published by GalleryOnline, publishers of Per Arnoldi, Ricardo benaim, Pierre Marie Brisson, Simon Bull, Fanch Ledan, Claude Gaveau and Laurent Schkolnyk and more. SELECT CORPORATE COLLECTIONS: Allstate Insurance NBC Productions Alaska Airlines...Category
1990s Contemporary Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Plaster, Mixed Media, Oil, Board, Pigment
You May Also Like
- Night Nurse, Large Magritte-like Surreal Painting by Backstrom aka Beck o JungBy Holger BäckströmLocated in Long Island City, NYAn oil painting by Holger Bäckström from 1979. A mixed media collage and oil painting produced by the company Beck & Jung, a collaborative duo between Holger Bäckström and Bo Ljungberg in the 1960's-70's. Their emphasis on highly designed optical art-style is eminent in the objects produced from Beck & Jung. Artist: Holger Bäckström and Bo Ljungberg (aka Beck & Jung), Scandanavian (1939 - 1997 and 2007) Title: Night Nurse...Category
1970s Op Art Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Horizon Original Op Art PaintingBy Marko SpalatinLocated in Lake Worth Beach, FLHorizon Original Op Art Painting 1978 Artist signed and dated. Marko Spalatin (American, Born 1945). An original Modern Abstract Op-Art oil painting on canvas. Titled "Horizon". Featuring colors of white, yellow, orange, green, purple, and blue. Signed and dated 1978 with title on verso. Mounted on wood stretcher. Provenance: 11/10/2007 Ivey-Selkirk Auction, LOT 775. PERMANENT COLLECTIONS Musée d'Art Moderne — Paris, France Museum of Modern Art — New York, New York Tate Gallery — London, England Bibliothèque National — Paris, France Victoria & Albert Museum — London, England Library of Congress — Washington, D.C. Museum of Contemporary Art — Chicago, Illinois Metropolitan Museum — Manila, Philippines Philadelphia Museum of Art — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Butler Institute of American Art — Youngstown, Ohio Museum of Modern Art — Belgrade, Yugoslavia Milwaukee Art Museum...Category
1970s Op Art Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil, Acrylic
- Fuji V, Op Art Oil PaintingBy Tony BecharaLocated in Long Island City, NYAn abstract painting by Tony Bechara from 2001. An abstract, optical painting representative of the artists conceptual principles of color usage, organization and randomness. Artist...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Op Art Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- ThunderBy Tony BecharaLocated in Long Island City, NYAn abstract painting by Tony Bechara from 1984. An abstract, optical painting representative of Bechara's conceptual principles of color usage, organization and randomness. Artist...Category
1980s Op Art Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Back to the futureBy Ferruccio GardLocated in Palm Beach, FLFerruccio Gard (Italy, 1940) is one of the pioneers and leading artist representatives of the Neo-Constructivist art, Programmed Art and Optical Art, which he has practiced since 196...Category
2010s Op Art Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic
- Op-art contemporary colourful acrylic painting "Movement as a Message"By Ferruccio GardLocated in Palm Beach, FLFerruccio Gard (Italy, 1940) is one of the pioneers and leading artist representatives of the Neo-Constructivist art, Programmed Art and Optical Art, which he has practiced since 1969. He is considered to be a master of colour, in his painting Gard creates original formal and compositional solutions of forms and colours. Exploring the geometric composition with chromatic and special themes Gards clasps the complexity of black and white and the extremes of the tonal scale of colours. Gard's work have been the subject of many writers, including Piero Dorazio and Virgilio Guidi, as well as renowned poets art art curators such as Jorge Amado...Category
1980s Op Art Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic
