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Ruth Smoking 4 - Signed Print by Julian Opie 2006 - MyArtBroker

Ruth Smoking 4
Signed Print

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: Screenprint

Edition size: 50

Year: 2006

Size: H 121cm x W 85cm

Signed: Yes

Format: Signed Print

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Track auction value trend

The value of Julian Opie's Ruth Smoking 4 (signed) is estimated to be worth between £4,750 and £7,000. This screenprint, created in 2006, has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 3%. This work has an auction history of four total sales since its entry to the market on 16th March 2011. The hammer price over the past five years has ranged from £4,064 in August 2018 to £5,704 in March 2021. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 50.

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Auction Results

Auction DateAuction HouseLocation
Hammer Price
Return to Seller
Buyer Paid
August 2020Wilson55 United Kingdom
January 2015Phillips London United Kingdom
March 2013Christie's London United Kingdom
March 2011Bonhams Knightsbridge United Kingdom
March 2010Bonhams New Bond Street United Kingdom

Meaning & Analysis

An important aspect for Opie in creating the commissioned portraits of Ruth, an art collector living in Geneva, was the fact that the sitter smoked and had long smooth hair. The element of smoking offered Opie the opportunity to animate this image with wisps of rising smoke in further iterations of the subject, thus allowing him to represent a sense of time through the static portrait.

Inspired by the woodblock prints of Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro, as well as early Renaissance painters such as Giovanni Bellini and Fra Angelico, Opie deliberately frames these images of Ruth as three-quarter length portraits to place his work in a historical, painterly context. In referencing historical, classic poses through the medium of computer drawing programmes and photography, Opie aims to distance model and viewer, placing the model in a fictional framework. This fictional role is then recognised as a type by the viewer, allowing for a multitude of interpretations.

  • 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.