The Illusion of a Second Cube

Victor Vasarely is often credited with being the founder of post-war optical painting. His works ignored the human form in favor of geometric shapes and abstract styles and are found in cultural hubs around the world, like Paris, Washington, Chicago, Sao Paolo, Budapest, Caracas, and Rotterdam. Mostly known as a painter, Vasarely was convinced to devise five geometric optical sculptures for the city of Jeddah in the 1980s. The Illusion of a Second Cube is one of them and it can be found along the Red Sea’s Corniche in the Al-Hamra Open Air Art Museum. Fashioned from enameled steel sheets, Vasarely’s contributions are impervious to the severe blistering hot coastal weather, as well as the effects of rambuctious children clambering all over them.