#21 • Yaacov Agam: "Infinite Dimension" Signed Framed Agamograph LE #52/99
Part of Fine Art and Jewelry Extravaganza: Bid on Masterpieces by Vasarely, Erte, Picasso, Max, and More! (timed auction by Lux Auctions)
High bid $800.00
Status: No sale
Category: Art
Like a woven basket, this visceral "moving" (literally) art by Israeli artist Yaacov Agam (b. 1928) seems to have a base of royal blue w/ horizontal stripes of red, magenta, cornflower, teal, spring green, yellow, and persimmon. As one moves across the field, the "waft" or horizontal stripes are added at varying intervals, creating a concentration of weaves in the center. If standing off to the side three short vertical indigo bars can be seen in the center, on a white field. Created in 1991, this piece is from the Big Bang Series. Signed by the artist and numbered 52/99. Framed in a luxurious gilt wood frame with an exposed 1/2" linen surround. Glass covers the art, outlined in a gold fillet. Has a wire to hang in the back. Very good condition - the art is vibrant and protected. One 1/4" pen mark on the linen surround (top). A few scuff marks to the frame. The brown paper backing has a large tear in it. Please see our photos for additional details. Dimensions: Frame size 31" w x 31.5" tall, Art Opening 21.25" w x 21.75" tall. This intriguing piece beautifully displays Yaacov Agam's unique perception of art and his revolutionary style, which relied upon the utilization of movement and the fourth dimension in order to gain a complete understanding of his compositions. Using Lenticular Lithography, Agam overlaps multiple graphic images by using a lenticular screen that reveals and conceals portions of each image. Through the use of this highly sensitive technique, a fluid metamorphosis occurs when the viewer moves in front of the work, just as the viewer defines the picture plain it shifts, creating a new design. Of his career Agam has stated, "My endeavor has been to create a kind of visual graphic art, existing not only in space, but in time; one in which the form develops and evolves, thus procuring an unforeseeable infinity of plastic situations flowing out of one another." With this piece, Agam has created multiple scenes of de-structured shapes, accented by sharp geometric patterns and highlighted with bursts of vibrant color. About the artist: The son of an Orthodox Rabbi, scholar and writer Yaacov Agam was born on May 11, 1928 in Rishon Letzion, Israel. As a child, he began to draw, despite religious proscription against visual expression. Agam's family recognized his artistic ability and, in 1946, he entered the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. Studying with Mordecai Ardon, a former student at the Weimar Bauhaus, he discovered the differences between other cultures which stress the afterlife and the Hebrew culture which emphasizes the present. Because Judaism believes life is dynamic and ever-changing, Agam determined that static paintings were inadequate to express the constantly occurring changes which surround us. In 1950, upon Ardon's recommendation, Agam went to Zurich to study with Johannes Itten at the Kunstgewerbeschule. There, he met Frank Lloyd Wright and Siegfried Giedion, whose ideas on the element of time in art and architecture impressed him. In 1951, Agam moved to Paris, where a number of world-famous Surrealist artists living in France were the first to discover and encourage him. His first one-man exhibition held at Galerie Craven, Paris in 1953, featured kinetic and transformable paintings which invited spectator participation. The show was a critical success and attracted considerable attention in art circles. He is still living in Paris and continues to produce works, currently holding the title of the highest-selling Israeli artist. Signed original prints created by this Op Art artist are affectionately called Yaacov Agam Agamographs. (masterworks fine art.com)
