The artist Julian Opie, who has received many awards, is one of the most important representatives of contemporary art. He is known for his highly individual style in graphic design, which has a high recognition value.
From 1979 to 1982 Julian Opie studied at Goldsmiths College, London. He is a painter, sculptor and video artist who became famous in the mid-1980s with metal sculptures made from painted everyday objects. He draws his inspiration from the world of comics and consumerism, Japanese mangas and woodcuts as well as classical portraits and sculptures. Julian Opie’s motifs range from nudes and portraits to figure paintings and landscapes. The works of the internationally successful artist are reminiscent of pictograms. Julian Opie explores the boundaries of stylization: To what extent can a person’s facial features be simplified while retaining their individuality? The artist has created his own universal visual language, which gives the motif an enormous variety of expression with minimal means.
His lenticular works are particularly in demand on the art market and are usually also available as limited editions as reasonable prices.. He describes the idea for this in this way:
“To be able to draw the subtle movements of the face, I had to find a new way of drawing. I looked at Japanese manga and old master paintings to understand how shadows instead of lines could be used for drawing. I used a 19th century invention with grooved lenses that gave the illusion of movement when you walked past a painting. As with the classic haunted house paintings, whose eyes follow you, I can make my portraits respond to the viewer. It’s a simple trick that doesn’t fool anyone, but nevertheless breaks the rules of reality. Magic is an important part of art and allows the image to break out of normality and bring communication, language, to life.”
The works of Julian Opie are in the most important public collections and are presented in private and public spaces worldwide. In 2001 he received the Music Week CADS, Best Illustration Award for his album Cover Design for Best of Blur.
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2022
MIXC WORLD, Shenzhen Museum, China, October 1, 2022 to February 5, 2023
PARCO Museum, Tokyo, Japan, October 21, 2022 to November 14, 2022
2021
Un goût de vacances, des saveurs d’été. Meymac Museum, France
July 11, 2021 to October 17, 2021
La Nau Cultural Centre.
Valencia, Spain
May 27, 2021 to September 19, 2021
2020
Berardo Museum, Lisbon, Portugal
Galeria Duarte Sequeira, Braga, Portugal
Lisson Gallery, Shanghai
2019
Eden Project, Cornwall, UK
Lisson Gallery, New York, USA
Gerhardsen Gerner, Oslo, Norway
Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, Germany
Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Krobath Gallery, Vienna, Austria
2018
F1963, Busan, South Korea
Krakow Witkin Gallery, Boston, USA
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
2017
Fosun Foundation, Shanghai, China.
Fundacion Bancaja, Valencia, Spain.
“Julian Opie After Van Dyck” National Portrait Gallery, London, UK.
Suwon Ipark Museum, Suwon, Korea.
2016
Art Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland
Gerhardsen Gerner. Berlin, Germany
Krobath. Vienna, Austria
Maho Kubota Gallery, Tokyo
2015
ARCO, Madrid, Spain
Mario Sequeira, Braga, Portugal
“Recent Works”, Kunsthalle Helsinki. Helsinki, Finland.
Gerhardsen Gerner, Oslo, Norway.
2014
SCAI The Bathhouse, Tokyo, Japan
“Ikon Icon 2000s”, Ikon, Birmingham, UK
MoCAK (Museum of Contemporary Art Krakow), Krakow, Poland
“Julian Opie Collected Works” Holburne Museum, Bath and Bowes Museum, Durham, UK
Gerhardsen Gerner, Berlin, Germany
Krobath Galerie, Berlin, Germany
Channing School for Girls, ARK Gallery, London, UK
Kukje Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
“Winter and other Seasons: Landscapes by Julian Opie”, British Council, London, UK
2013
Barbara Krakow, Boston, USA
Valentina Bonomo, Rome, Italy
Krobath Gallery, Vienna, Austria
Patrick de Brock, Knokke, Belgium
Gerhardsen Gerner, Oslo, Norway
2012
Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, India
Lisson Gallery, London, UK
2011
Lisson Gallery, Milan, Italy
National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
Krobath, Berlin, Germany
Bob van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
2010
Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston, USA
Mario Sequeira, Braga, Portugal
IVAM, Valencia, Spain
Galerist, Istanbul, Turkey
2009
Valentina Bonomo, Rome, Italy
“Dancing in Kivik”, Kivik Art Centre, Osterlen, Sweden
Kukje Gallery, Seoul, South Korea (exh cat)
Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, India
SCAI the Bathhouse, Tokyo, Japan
Patrick de Brock, Knokke, Belgium
2008
MAK, Vienna, Austria (exh cat)
Lisson Gallery, London, UK (exh cat)
Krobath Wimmer, Vienna, Austria
Art Tower Mito, Japan (exh cat)
2007
Barbara Thumm, Berlin, Germany
Museum Kampa, Prague, Czech Republic (exh cat)
Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston, USA
King’s Lynn art centre, Norfolk, UK
2006
CAC, Malaga, Spain (exh cat)
Bob van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
2005
Mario Sequeira, Braga, Portugal
La Chocolateria, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
SCAI the Bathhouse, Tokyo, Japan
MGM, Oslo, Norway
Valentina Bonomo, Rome, Italy
2004 – 2005
Public Art Fund, City Hall Park, New York City, USA
2004
Lisson Gallery, London, UK (exh cat)
Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden (exh cat)
Kunsthandlung H. Krobath & B. Wimmer, Vienna, Austria
Patrick de Brock Gallery, Knokke, Belgium
Barbara Thumm Galerie, Berlin
Krobath Wimmer, Wien, Austria
2003
Neues Museum, Staatliches Museum fur Kunst und Design in Nurnberg, Germany (exh cat)
K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf, Germany (exh cat)
Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
2002
Rebecca Camhi Gallery, Athens, Greece
Mario Sequeira Gallery, Braga, Portugal (exh cat)
Barbara Thumm, Berlin, Germany
Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston, USA
Atelier Augarten, Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria (exh cat)
2001
Lisson Gallery, London, UK
Patrick de Brock Gallery, Knokke, Belgium
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK (exh cat)
Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
2000
Abbaye Saint-Andre, centre d’art contemporain, Meymac, France (exh cat)
Junge Kunst, Wolfsburg, Germany
SCAI the Bathhouse, Tokyo, Japan
1999
Primo Piano, Rome, Italy
Morrison Judd, London, UK
Tensta Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden
Barbara Thumm Galerie, Berlin
Bob van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
Stadtgalerie am Lehnbachhaus, Munich, Germany (exh cat)
Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston, USA
1997
Gallery Nova Sin, Prague, Czech Republic (exh cat)
Barbara Thumm Galerie, Berlin, Germany (exh cat)
The Economist Plaza, London, UK
Kunsthandlung H. Krobath & B. Wimmer, Vienna, Austria
De Gouverneurstuin, Assen, Netherlands
1996
Galerie Analix B&L Polla, Geneva, Switzerland
CCC, Tours, France (exh cat)
Bob van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
Lisson Gallery, London, UK
1995
Galerie de l’Ancienne Poste, Calais, France (exh cat)
Monica De Cardenas, Milan, Italy
1994
Kunstverein Hannover, Hannover, Germany (exh cat)
Galerie Albrecht, Munich, Germany
Tramway, Glasgow, UK (exh cat)
1993
Hayward Gallery, London, UK (exh cat)
1992
Wiener Secession, Vienna, Austria (exh cat)
1991
Kohji Ogura Gallery, Japan (exh cat)
Galerie Luis Campana, Frankfurt, Germany
Janner Galerie, Vienna, Austria
Galleria Franz Paludetto, Turin, Italy
Primo Piano, Rome, Italy
Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland (exh cat)
1990
Lisson Gallery, London, UK
1988
Lisson Gallery, London, UK (exh cat)
Galeria Montenegro, Madrid, Spain
Paul Maenz, Cologne, Germany
1986
Franco Toselli Gallery, Milan, Italy
1985
Lisson Gallery, London, UK (exh cat)
Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK (exh cat)
Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Jouy-en-Josas, France
1984 – 1985
Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, travelled to Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands (exh cat)
1983
Lisson Gallery, London, UK
WORKS IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Aberdeen Art Gallery, Scotland, UK
Albertina, Vienna, Austria
Arts Council of Great Britain, UK
Banque Bruxelles Lambert, Brussels, Belgium
Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, USA
Collection Essl, Vienna, Austria
Contemporary Art Society, UK
Dentsu Building, Tokyo, Japan
Daimler Chrysler, Dresdner Bank, Berlin
Davis Museum, Wellesley College, Boston MA
Denver Art Museum, Denver, USA
Deutsche Bank, Frankfurt, Germany
Daros Collection, Zurich, Switzerland
Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane
Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Finland
Essl Collection, Vienna, Austria
Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, France
Fundacion Caja de Pensiones, Madrid, Spaibn
Gana Art Centre, Seoul, South Korea
Gjensidige, Oslo, Norway
ICA, Boston, USA
Institut Valencia d’Art Modern (IVAM), Spain
Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Germany
Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz, Austria
Kunsthaus Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Kresge Art Museum, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA
Lenbachhaus Stadtische Galerie, Munich, Germany
Maison Europeene de la photographie, Paris, France
MUSAC, Leon, Spain
Museet for Samtidskunst, Oslo, Norway
Museo d’Arte Contemporanea LUIGI PECCI, Prato, Italy
Museum of Contemporary Art Krakow, Poland
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA
Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
Neue Galerie – Sammlung Ludwig, Aachen, Germany
Neues Museum, Nuremberg, Germany
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
Queensland Art Gallery, Australia
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Takamatsu City Museum Of Art
The British Council, UK
The British Museum, London, UK
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal
The Government Art Collection, London, UK
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Takamatsu City Museum of Art, Japan
Takamatsu City, Japan
The Tate Gallery, London, UK
The Tate, Liverpool, UK
The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
UBS Art Collection
Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford, Connecticut, USA