Victor Vasarely Mar-Kab

Mar-Kab

Silkscreen, 1973

Edition of 220

Publisher: Pierre Belfond (Paris)

Printer: Atelier Arcay (Paris)

Catalogue: Pedro Benavides 211

76.00 cm × 62.00 cm (sheet size)

60.00 cm × 48.00 cm (image size)

Signed by the artist in pencil

Artist Proof

Includes Certificate of Authenticity

Condition: Excellent

Restoration marks on margins
Image area in very good condition

About the artwork

"Mar-Kab" is a representative silkscreen print from the 1970s, in which Victor Vasarely developed geometric abstraction and optical illusion through sophisticated compositions.

In this work, basic geometric forms emerge in multiple layers above horizontally repeating lines. As forms gradually appear from the rhythmic order of the lines, a subtle vibration and spatial expansiveness are created on the canvas.

Particularly striking is the silvery, iridescent glow that pervades the entire work. This delicate texture, which subtly changes its expression depending on the angle of the light, gives the work a unique depth and sophisticated elegance.

This composition, which creates a three-dimensional illusion while being flat, symbolizes the "architecture of vision" that Vasarely pursued, leading viewers to a different spatial perception each time they see it.

"Mar-Kab" is a work that condenses the charm of Op Art, where mathematical order and poetic light effects are exquisitely integrated.

Title explanation

This title is a bit difficult to interpret, but it is likely a neologism typical of Vasarely.

Breaking it down:

Mar
→ Potentially evoking marbre (marble) or marine (sea)

Kab
→ Potentially a shorthand for geometric units or structural codes

Considering especially the work's

silvery, iridescent glow

it is possible that it was given as a codename indicating material texture or mineral quality.

Vasarely often used structural titles that did not explicitly state their meaning, so here, rather than forcing an interpretation,