Bridget Riley - Selected Works

Bridget Riley
Selected Works

Bridget Riley, (born April 24, 1931, London, England), English artist whose vibrant optical pattern paintings were
central
to the Op art movement of the 1960s.
Riley spent her childhood in Cornwall and attended Goldsmiths College (1949–52; now part of the University of
London) and the Royal College of Art (1952–55; B.A.). Until 1960 she painted primarily impressionistic
landscapes and figures. Her study of the Pointillists, particularly Georges Seurat, led her to experiment with
colour juxtaposition and optical effects, and under the influence of Victor Vasarely and others, her work took on
a geometric abstraction, in which intricate patterns of black and white and, later, alternating colours were
calculated to produce illusions of movement and topography. In 1965
she participated with Vasarely, Yaacov Agam, and others in a noteworthy international exhibition entitled “The
Responsive Eye” at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. She won a first prize for painting at
the Venice Biennale in 1968. Her notable works from this period included Drift No. 2 (1966) and Nineteen
Greys (1968).
Riley’s experiments with optical illusions continued throughout her career. In 1967 she introduced colour into
her work, making her first stripe paintings. She sometimes broke from geometric forms in the 1970s to create
what she termed curve paintings, in which waving lines give the impression of undulating movement. Notable
examples include Gala (1974) and Entice 2 (1974). In the 1980s Riley introduced diagonal lines, creating a
series she called rhomboid paintings. She also began to adapt her palette to match the pigments she saw on her
travels to such countries as Egypt (Achæan [1981]) and India (Nataraja [1993]). Her work from the 21st century
took on a more lyrical quality, its forms inspired by the arabesque, as in Rajasthan (2012). Riley also received a
number of commissions for wall murals, a practice she began with the design for the Royal Liverpool Hospital
in 1983. Such pieces include Bolt of Colour (2017), a temporary work for the Chinati Foundation, Marfa,
Texas, and Messengers (2019), a permanent installation at the National Gallery, London.

Bridget Riley | Winged Curve |1966
Silkscreen on paper | Signed edition of 75 | 63 x 58 cm
Although printed in 1966, Winged Curve was not published at that time. The work was printed on rectangular sheets and Riley felt, then, that the
image had not quite worked.
The edition was kept in the studio. Upon rediscovery and long consideration, around the turn of the century, the decision was taken to crop the
sheet to the near-square format that we see today. This adjustment resolved Riley's concerns and, happily, the edition was signed and released in
2001.
Under £45,000
Please click here to view on website

Bridget Riley | Fold |2004
Silkscreen in colours, plus white under print on Fabriano 5 paper | Signed edition of 250 | 38 x 45 cm
Under £13,000
Please click here to view on website

Bridget Riley | Sideways | 2010
Silkscreen on paper | Signed edition of 250 | 33 x 46 cm
Under £13,000
Please click here to view on website

Bridget Riley in her studio