Julian Opie Biography

Opie works in a variety of media including sculpture, painted aluminium, vinyl, and inkjet on canvas. His thick black outlines and simplified blocks of colour are reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints, Pop Art, and minimalism. Opie's painted metal sculptures gained international recognition due to their highly stylized nature and their utilisation of basic line and negative space. His work is characterised by his ability to create simplified figures that remain uniquely recognisable.

Opie has undertaken many public commissions including works at the City Hall Park, New York (2004), the Mori Building, Omotesando Hill, Japan (2006), River Vitava, Prague (2007), Dublin City Gallery, Ireland (2008), Seoul Square, South Korea (2009), Regent's Place, London (2011), and Calgary, Canada (2012).

Opie designed the album cover for Best of Blur by British band Blur in 2000 for which he was presented with a Music Week CADS Award the following year. He was earlier awarded the Sargent Fellowship at the British School in Rome in 1995. Opie's work is held in collections at the National Portrait Gallery, London, the Tate, London, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.