Julian Opie

Julian Opie

Julian Opie was raised in Oxford, England, where he attended the Dragon School and Magdalen College School. He attended Goldsmith's School of Art in London from 1979-82 He then attended Chelsea College of Art and became a teacher.

In his portraiture, the human face is sometimes characterized by black outlines with flat areas of color, and mineralized detail, to the extent that an eye can become just the black circle of the pupil, and sometimes a head is represented by a circle with a space where the neck would be, Opie tries to portray someone's personality in as little detail as possible.

Opie uses computers in art for other works. His Imagine you are... series, demonstrated how activities such as driving, walking and climbing could be represented by simple reductions. In addition, Opie uses sculpture and light installations to present items of everyday life.

Julian Opie also implements computer technology by cutting out the outlines and coloured shapes, sometimes on vinyl, as in large display banners at Tate Britain. Opie is a former trustee of the Tate Gallery and exhibits with Lisson Gallery and Alan Cristea Gallery in London, England. His studio and workshop is based in Shoreditch, London. He was also the subject of a book by Mary Horlock published by Tate Publishing as part of their Contemporary Artist series.