Bridget Riley (b. 1931) is best-known for painting black-and-white patterns that produce disorienting effects – including the illusion of colour. Comprising six monochrome works made from 1961–67, this display at Dia Beacon explores how she combined rigorous formal discipline with illusionistic lessons learned from pointillism to create art that shifts and mutates before our eyes (until July 2028). It was during this period that a writer at Time coined the term ‘Op art’ to describe work that used geometric forms to create optical effects, and this exhibition makes clear that Riley was an influential member of the movement. The tightly focused nature of the display also encourages us to view the work on its own terms, and to admire Riley’s ability to conjure movement from a pared-back palette and the simplest of shapes.
Find out more from Dia Beacon’s website.
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