WATERBURY, CT.- On Thursday, the Mattatuck Museum opened the acclaimed exhibition Victor Vasarely: The Absolute Eye. The exhibition of 60 serigraphs and objects is on loan from the Herakleidon Museum in Athens, Greece. This is the first time a selection from the museum’s extensive Vasarely collection - one of the largest serigraph collections of Victor Vasarely - is on view in the United States. Victor Vasarely is the world-renowned Father of the Op Art movement, and this exhibition examines the optical and geometric grounding of his illusionistic art of multi-dimensional, polychrome spaces. It is on view at the Mattatuck Museum from February 18 through April 10, 2016. This exhibition is sponsored in part by the Savings Bank of Danbury.

Vasarely’s unprecedented use of perceptual abstraction and his early anticipation of the shift in human optics make him one of the most important artists of the 20th century. In his works, a flat static image acquires illusion of movement and volume; figurative image turns into abstract pattern, and vice versa. He played with background and color, combined geometric elements in a special way and experimented with materials. His innovations in using optical illusions became extremely popular in the 1960s and 70s. His use of optical art in design, advertisement and architecture led to the popularization of the style and opt art became a part of everyday life. His work went on to influence a generation of young artists and had a lasting impact of print, poster, and fabric design.

For more information on all of the museum’s programs, events, and exhibits visit the website at mattatuckmuseum.org or call (203) 753-0381. The Mattatuck Museum is operated with support from the Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development/CT Office of the Arts and Office of Tourism, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and the State of Connecticut through the Consortium of Connecticut Art Museums. The Mattatuck is a member of the Connecticut Art Trail, a group of 18 world-class museums and historic sites (arttrail.org).

Located on the green in Waterbury, CT at 144 West Main Street, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Convenient, free parking is located behind the museum in the lots on Park Place.