“The process of reading things as simulations but knowing at the same time that they are real is quite central to my work” —— Julian Opie
Julian Opie is a contemporary British artist known for his stylised treatment of figures, portraits, and landscapes. Portraits and animated walking figures, rendered with minimal detail in black line drawing and solid areas of flat colour, are hallmarks of the artist's style, blending Pop Art and Minimalism with a distinctly contemporary sensibility. His work explores the links between art history and new technology, displaying an obsession with the human body across different and inventive forms of media.
Born in 1958 in London, Opie studied under the artist Michael-Craig Martin at Goldsmiths in London during the early 1980s. His earliest works consisted of painted steel sculptures exploring the relationship between visual and spatial observation. The artist’s works form part of the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, amongst others. Opie currently lives and works in his home city of London.