Wolfgang Ludwig (1949) - KS 25 - MoMA responsive eye

Wolfgang Ludwig: kinetic structure (screenprint), 1968

Screenprint (serigraph) in black on wove paper, framed. Fine black rays radiate from a small central void, widening towards the circumference and densely packed so that the static image begins to vibrate, pulse and appear to rotate in the eye of the viewer. The work belongs to Ludwig's kinetic-disc / kinetic-structure group of the 1960s, in which he investigated the physiological threshold between a fixed image and perceived movement — the central concern of Op and perceptual art.

Hand-signed and dated "Ludwig 68" in pencil and numbered in pencil, from an edition of 150.

Wolfgang Ludwig (born 1923 in Mielesdorf, Thuringia; died 2009 in Berlin) is regarded as one of the foremost German exponents of Op Art. He studied at the Academy of Visual Arts, Leipzig (1947–1950), and then at the Hochschule für bildende Künste, Berlin (1950–1956), under Hans Uhlmann and Alexander Camaro. From 1971 to 1991 he was professor of visual communication at the Hochschule für bildende Künste, Berlin. In 1965 he took part in the landmark Op Art exhibition The Responsive Eye at the Museum of Modern Art, New York — the exhibition that introduced Op Art to a wide international public. His work continues to feature in major surveys of kinetic and perceptual art, including Optic Nerve (Columbus Museum of Art, 2007) and Action ⇄ Reaction. 100 Years of Kinetic Art (Kunsthal Rotterdam, 2018).

Year: 1968 (dated in the signature)
Technique: Screenprint (serigraph) in black on wove paper
Edition: Numbered in pencil, from an edition of 150
Signature: Hand-signed and dated "Ludwig 68" in pencil
Dimensions: Image 28 × 28 cm · Framed 36 × 36 × 4 cm
Condition: Good overall. There is a small tear to the lower part of the sheet; it is not very conspicuous and can be professionally restored. Sold framed as shown.