A Turning Point in Colour - Recollection by Bridget Riley

Why It Matters

The painting exemplifies a watershed moment in Riley’s career, reshaping abstract optical art and boosting the market relevance of her Zig series for collectors and institutions.

Key Takeaways

• Riley's 1986 'Recollection' marks shift to diagonal dynamics
• Interlocking rhomboids create kaleidoscopic optical shimmer that appears in stillness
• Color selection derived from meticulous gouache studies for precise contrast
• Zig series abandons earlier vertical/horizontal formats for dynamic diagonals
• Riley aims for eye to feel caressed, gliding, soothed

Summary

Bridget Riley’s 1986 painting “Recollection,” long held in a private collection, is presented as a pivotal work that signals a decisive shift in her abstract oeuvre. The canvas, composed of interlocking rhomboids, belongs to the first group of her celebrated Zig series, which introduced diagonal dynamism to her previously grid‑based practice.

The work’s kaleidoscopic field of vivid hues collides and slips past one another, producing an optical shimmer that appears to move even when the viewer stands still. Riley built the composition from meticulous gouache studies, selecting each colour with exacting attention to proportion, contrast and correspondence, thereby converting a flat surface into a pulsating visual field.

Riley herself has said the eye should feel “caressed and soothed, glide and drift,” a sentiment echoed by critics who note the painting’s ability to engage the viewer’s perception actively. The shift from vertical and horizontal formats to diagonal structures in the Zig series marked a new sense of movement that redefined her approach to optical art.

“Recollection” not only expands Riley’s artistic vocabulary but also reinforces the market’s appetite for works that blend rigorous color theory with kinetic illusion. Its significance lies in influencing subsequent generations of abstract painters and in underscoring the commercial and cultural value of her mid‑1980s output.

Original Description

A turning point in colour, rhythm and perception.

Bridget Riley’s ‘Recollection’ (1986) — held in the same private collection for almost four decades — leads our Modern British Evening Sale as a radiant example of her groundbreaking diagonal 'zig' series.

Structured through a kaleidoscopic field of interlocking rhomboids, the painting pulses with vivid colour, marking Riley’s pivotal shift toward dynamism and movement in the mid‑1980s.

Executed at the dawn of this transformative period, 'Recollection' stands among the most important works of the series. Discover this landmark of British abstraction in our Modern British and Irish Art exhibition until 18 March.

📅 Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale, 18 March