JULIAN OPIE BELGIUM 4

Upon graduating, JULIAN OPIE moved from place to place, making works in abandoned bus stops, garden sheds, and friends’ basements. As the young artist quickly emerged as an influential figure in the British art scene, the need for a proper studio grew. He settled in East London. 

Julie Opie is known for his astute observations of the world. They manifest in many different ways: as figures whose facial features are reduced to abstract forms as seen in the album cover for the rock band Blur; as images of people walking; and as depictions of mountains and open fields seen from a car window.

BELGIUM 4 is based on people walking past a gallery on the promenade in Knokke, Belgium. The inspiration for this piece came from early childhood. “At school pickup I watched the passing shoppers through the car windscreen as if it was a river or a movie and realized that right here was an endless supply of models, a huge catalog of various possible statues.”

Julian Opie’s work is often referred to as “21st-century portraiture” because it allows viewers to perceive a given image in universal yet very personal ways. Whenever Julian Opie set up a camera to take photos of pedestrians on the streets of different countries, he experienced a “river of humanity”, consisting of people who were fascinating and beautiful in their individual ways. 

“My painting represents the process in which my brain comprehends the world three-dimensionally, and it is up to me, the artist, to bring to life this observation of my brain and eyes,” Julian Opie said.

BELGIUM 4 from the portfolio Belgium (2021) by Julian Opie is a wall-mounted Corian Shelf with free standing acrylic sculpture. Belgium 4 is an edition of 30. Julian Opie signed in silver ink on the verso of one of the figures. For more information about the entire Belgium 4 or Julian Opie please contact the gallery. Call for Value