Julian Opie

The work of Julian Opie is known throughout the world. With public commissions from New York to Seoul, London to Calgary, and an uninterrupted flow of international museum exhibitions, Opie’s distinctive formal language is instantly recognisable and reflects his artistic preoccupation with the idea of representation and the means by which images are perceived and understood. “Everything you see is a trick of the light,” Opie writes. “Light bouncing into your eye, light casting shadows, creating depth, shapes, colours. Turn off the light and it’s all gone. We use vision as a means of survival and it’s essential to take it for granted in order to function, but awareness allows us to look at looking and by extension look at ourselves and be aware of our presence. Drawing, drawing out the way that process feels and works brings the awareness into the present and into the real world, the exterior world.” Always exploring different techniques both cutting edge and ancient, Opie plays with ways of seeing through reinterpreting the vocabulary of everyday life; his reductive style evokes both a visual and spatial experience of the world around us. Drawing influence from classical portraiture, Egyptian hieroglyphs and Japanese woodblock prints, as well as public signage, information boards and traffic signs, the artist connects the clean visual language of modern life, with the fundamentals of art history.

Julian Opie was born in London in 1958 and lives and works in London. He graduated from Goldsmith’s School of Art, London in 1982. Exhibitions have been staged at Berardo Museum, Lisbon, Portugal (2020); Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Japan (2019); Gerhardsen Gerner, Oslo, Norway (2019); The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia (2018); National Portrait Gallery, London, UK (2017); Suwon Ipark Museum of Art, Korea (2017); Fosun Foundation, Shanghai, China (2017); Fundacion Bancaja, Valencia, Spain (2017); Kunsthalle Helsinki, Finland (2015); Museum of Contemporary Art Krakow (MoCAK), Poland (2014); National Portrait Gallery, London, UK (2011); IVAM, Valencia,
Spain (2010); MAK, Vienna, Austria (2008); CAC Malaga, Spain (2006); Neues Museum, Nuremberg, Germany (2003); Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK (2001); Kunstverein Hannover, Germany (1994) and Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK (1985). Major group exhibitions include 'I Want! I Want! Art & Technology' at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK (2017); 'This Is Not The Reality. What Kind Of Reality?', 57th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2017); the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK (2016); Barbican Art Gallery, London, UK (2014); Tate Britain, London, UK (2013); the Shanghai Biennale (2006); 11th Biennial of Sydney (1998); documenta 8, Kassel, Germany (1987); and XIIème Biennale de Paris (1985). Public projects include 'Walking in Taipei', Taipei, Taiwan and 'Walking in Hong Kong', Tower 535, Hong Kong (2016); Arendt & Medernach, Luxembourg (2016); Heathrow Terminal 1 (1998); and the prison Wormwood Scrubs, London (1994); as well as public work for hospitals, such as the Lindo Wing, St. Mary's Hospital, London (2012) and Barts & the London Hospital (2003). His design for the band Blur’s album 'Best of Blur' (2000) was awarded the Music Week CADS for Best Illustration in 2001.

Recent, current and forthcoming projects

'Julian Opie: JO.VR/GF15@MOSS', Galleri F15, Moss, Norway (21 October – 6 March, 2023)

Julian Opie
Winter night 1. , 2021

Aluminium, nylon and lights 151.2 x 151.5 x 9 cm / 59 1/2 x 59 5/8 x 3 1/2 in

Julian Opie
Summer 1. , 2021

Powder coated aluminium 195 x 205.5 x 25 cm / 76 3/4 x 80 7/8 x 9 3/4 in

Julian Opie
Summer 2. , 2021

Powder coated aluminium 193.3 x 209 x 25 cm / 76 x 82 1/4 x 9 3/4 in

Julian Opie
Winter head 1. , 2021

Auto paint on aluminium 80 x 80 x 4.1 cm / 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 1 1/2 in

Julian Opie
Winter head 2. , 2021

Auto paint on aluminium 80 x 80 x 4.1 cm / 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 1 1/2 in

Julian Opie
Old Street December 11. , 21

Paint on metal 229.8 x 229.8 x 5 cm / 90 3/8 x 90 3/8 x 1 7/8 in

Julian Opie
Old Street December 12. , 2021

Paint on metal 230 x 230 x 1.5 cm / 90 1/2 x 90 1/2 x 1/2 in

Julian Opie
Ducks. , 2021

Continuous computer animation on 3 double sided LED panels 60 x 80 x 20 cm / 23 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 7 3/4 in

Julian Opie
Seagulls 3. , 2021

Continuous computer animation on 6 double sided LED panels 30 x 40 x 20 cm / 11 3/4 x 15 3/4 x 7 3/4 in

Julian Opie
Apartments 1.

2021
Powder coated aluminium 230.3 x 476.5 x 25 cm / 90 5/8 x 187 1/2 x 9 3/4 in

Julian Opie
Folder. , 2020

Auto paint on aluminium 182.6 x 83 x 3 cm / 71 7/8 x 32 5/8 x 1 1/8 in

Julian Opie
Cow 2. , 2020

Aluminium, nylon and lights 192 x 289.6 x 9.5 cm / 75 1/2 x 114 x 3 5/8 in

Julian Opie
Coloured runners 3. , 2020

Continuous computer animation on 55? LCD screen 121.5 x 68.6 cm 47 3/4 x 27 in

Julian Opie
Old Street in May 2. , 2020

Vinyl on aluminium stretcher 229 x 420.5 x 3.8 cm / 90 1/8 x 165 1/2 x 1 1/2 in

Julian Opie
Headphones. , 2020

Auto paint on aluminium 183 x 80.5 x 3.2 cm / 72 x 31 5/8 x 1 1/4 in

Julian Opie
Old Street May 8. , 2020

Auto paint on aluminium 209.3 x 141.2 x 5 cm / 82 3/8 x 55 1/2 x 1 7/8 in

Julian Opie
Old Street May 2. , 2020

Aluminium, nylon and lights 185 x 204 x 9 cm / 72 3/4 x 80 1/4 x 3 1/2 in

Julian Opie
Old Street August 12. , 2020

Aluminium, nylon and lights 225 x 302 x 9.5 cm / 88 1/2 x 118 7/8 x 3 5/8 in

Julian Opie
Blue shirt. , 2019

Auto paint on aluminium 200 x 177 cm / 78 5/8 x 69 5/8 in

Julian Opie
Dark glasses. , 2019

Acrylic paint on stone 70 x 62 x 3 cm / 27 1/2 x 24 3/8 x 1 1/8 in

Julian Opie
Woollen cap. , 2019

Acrylic paint on stone 70 x 62 x 3 cm / 27 1/2 x 24 3/8 x 1 1/8 in

Julian Opie
Teresa Jeremy Amelia Sam. , 2019

Aluminium, nylon and lights 290 x 300 x 12 cm / 114 1/8 x 118 x 4 5/8 in

Julian Opie
Beanie. , 2019

Auto paint on aluminium 200 x 117 cm / 78 5/8 x 46 in

Julian Opie
Mark 1. , 2019

Auto paint on aluminium with corian base 135 x 64 x 2.5 cm / 53 1/8 x 25 1/8 x 7/8 in

Julian Opie
Walking in New York 1. , 2019

Auto paint on aluminium 240 x 273 cm / 94 3/8 x 107 3/8 in

Julian Opie
Diamond earring. , 2019

Auto paint on aluminium 200 x 177 cm / 78 5/8 x 69 5/8 in

Julian Opie
Sam Amelia Jeremy Teresa. , 2019

Aluminium, nylon and lights 290 x 300 x 12 cm 114 1/8 x 118 x 4 5/8 in

Julian Opie
Walking in Melbourne. 8. , 2018

Vinyl on wooden stretcher 250 x 284.2 x 3.5 cm / 98 3/8 x 111 7/8 x 1 3/8 in

Julian Opie
Grazing sheep. 2. , 2017

Continuous computer animation on 46” LCD screen 58.5 x 102.7 x 11.5 cm / 23 x 40 3/8 x 4 1/2 in

Julian Opie
People. 23. Coloured , 2017

Continuous computer animation on 22” LCD screen 40 x 40 x 11 cm / 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 x 4 1/4 in

Julian Opie
Beach head. 10. , 2017

Paint on overlaid aluminium panel 190 x 156 cm / 74 3/4 x 61 3/8 in

Julian Opie
Corey walking. , 2016

LED double sided monolith 210 x 90 x 30 cm / 82 5/8 x 35 3/8 x 11 3/4 in

Julian Opie
Estuary. , 2016

Continuous computer animation on 46” LCD screen 58.5 x 102.7 x 11.5 cm / 23 x 40 3/8 x 4 1/2 in

Julian Opie
Country Road. , 2016

Continuous computer animation on 46” LCD screen 58.5 x 102.7 x 11.5 cm / 23 x 40 3/8 x 4 1/2 in

Julian Opie
Andrezy. , 2016

Auto paint on aluminium 180 x 144 cm / 70 7/8 x 56 3/4 in

Julian Opie
Taxi Driver., 2015

LED wall mounted 196 x 112 x 15 cm approx. / 77 1/8 x 44 1/8 x 5 7/8 in

Julian Opie
Woman with paisley dress , 2015

Inkjet on paper on aluminium 106 x 88.7 x 3 cm / 41 3/4 x 34 7/8 x 1 1/8 in

Julian Opie
_014_5685288.jpg.ai. , 2014

Inlaid and overlaid acrylic panel 100 x 75 x 3.5 cm approx. / 39.4 x 29.5 x 1.4 in approx

Julian Opie
Walking in Shoreditch. 1. , 2014

Vinyl on wooden stretcher 220 x 210.3 x 3.5 cm / 86 5/8 x 82 3/4 x 1 3/8 in

Julian Opie
Rod and Jen walking. , 2013

Continuous computer animation on 55” LCD screen 128 x 75 x 7.3 cm / 50 3/8 x 29 1/2 x 2 7/8 in