Born 1928
Yaacov Agam was one of the pioneers of the op art modern art movement. Agam's father was a Rabi and devoted his life to the study of Jewish religious matters. Yaacov Agam believes that his role is to carry on where his father left off but with a direction focusing on the visual aspect of religious beliefs.
Agam started his art life studying at the Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem, at the Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule in Switzerland and at the University of Zurich.
In 1951 he moved to Paris where he held his first one man exhibition in 1953. The exhibition was a success and consisted of kinetic and transformable paintings. This was the first exhibition of its time to be held solely in the name of kinetic art.
Yaacov Agam's philosophy is to transfer the meaning that reality is continuous rather than static into his art work.
He was interested in experimenting with new materials, textures and theories. Some of his experiments involved the incorporation of the environment and religious symbolism into his art work.
To find out about the other major pioneering artists that contributed to the Op art movement please click on their names below:
