Carp
Signed Mixed Media

Name: Carp
Brand: Julian Opie
Rating: 5 (234 reviews)

Julian Opie

Price data unavailable

AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.

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Medium: Mixed Media

Edition size: 35

Year: 2015

Size: H 57cm x W 57cm

Signed: Yes

Format: Signed Mixed Media

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Track auction value trend

The value of Julian Opie's Carp, a signed mixed media artwork from 2015, is estimated to be worth between £2,900 and £4,400. This screenprint has been sold 3 times at auction since its initial sale on 22nd June 2017. The current average annual growth rate is not available. Over the past five years, the hammer price has varied from £2,442 in June 2017 to £2,669 in February 2019. The average return to the seller is £2,975. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 35.

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Auction Results

Auction Date	Auction House	Location
September 2022	Phillips London	United Kingdom
July 2019	Wright	United States
June 2017	Wright	United States

Meaning & Analysis

Carp is a lenticular print by Julian Opie from 2015 that features the artist’s signature linear style, depicting a group of Carp fish swimming. Depicted with black line against a plain white backdrop, this is a simple and idyllic subject, indicative of Opie’s desire to represent the mundanities of everyday life.

The quiet and natural motif of swimming fish contrasts with the rigidity of the artist’s graphic style to create a composition that displays a tension between graphic design and fine art. Opie abstracts the subject by offering no contextual backdrop to the viewer, as the fish are seen swimming in water that is not depicted. This is indicative of Opie’s interest in creating a visual language formed of highly recognisable signs. Indeed, this work is reminiscent of Opie’s Escaped Animals 2002 that was a series of thirteen manufactured road signs depicting animals

Using lenticular technology as a key component to this work, Opie produces a moving image that shows the fish making small movements as they are seen to swim. Opie has demonstrated a keen interest in movement and animation throughout his career, often using movement as a form of realism. As a computer-generated image, rendered in such a way that the motif can be repeated many times over, the viewer is forced to think about how we look at images of everyday life.

Julian Opie, born in 1958, dances through the contemporary art scene with a distinctive digital allure. A trailblazer of the 1980s New British Sculpture movement, Opie's work is a highly stylised blend of Pop Art and minimalism which navigates the intersection of technology and visual expression. From his early experiments with computer-generated art to his iconic portraits and animated installations, Opie's work exudes a captivating simplicity. His signature style, marked by bold lines and reduced forms, is internationally recognisable and has made him a key player in British contemporary art.

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