About the artwork
This work depicts a woman holding a cigarette. The work exemplifies Opie's iconic minimalist style, using bold black lines and flat, solid colors. The simplified depiction of the figure, drawn against a mustard-yellow background, emphasizes the subject's form and gesture, capturing a moment of relaxed contemplation as she holds a cigarette. The face is reduced to essential elements, without distinctive features, allowing for universal identification. The work invites the viewer to reflect on identity and representation in the contemporary world, where images are often simplified and stylized.
Expert opinion
This print exemplifies a distinct stylistic departure from the artist's more widely recognized abstract expressionist paintings, showcasing his versatility in adopting a graphic, Pop Art-inflected aesthetic. While Francis is primarily known for his large-scale, color-field abstractions, works such as this demonstrate his engagement with figurative elements and bold, simplified forms, often produced later in his career. The market for the artist's prints remains active, with a consistent demand for editions that offer a different facet of his artistic output. Collectors often seek out these graphic works for their accessibility and their clear, direct visual language, which contrasts with the fluidity of his abstract canvases.
About the artist
Born in London in 1958 and a graduate of Goldsmiths School of Art, where he studied with Michael-Craig Martin, Julian Opie is an artist who lives and works in London. He is renowned for his original style of graphic figuration. The highly stylized treatment of his subjects, with flat tints of color and thick black outlines, is a blend of Pop art and minimalist art with a strong contemporary sensibility. Julian Opie's unique style is often compared to Japanese manga and comics, as well as to the aesthetics of advertising and posters. Opie has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad, with major museum shows including exhibitions at the Kunstverein in Cologne, the Hayward Gallery and the ICA in London. He is represented by 12 galleries worldwide and has presented numerous public projects in cities around the world. His work can be found in the collections of MoMA in New York, the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, among others.
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