Scottish painter Peter Doig is well-known for his surreal landscapes and figurative pieces. He was raised in Trinidad and Canada before moving to Edinburgh in 1959 to pursue his art studies in London. He settled in Trinidad in 2002 and also became a professor in Germany.
Since relocating to London, Doig had been developing paintings started in Trinidad, New York, and elsewhere, which had been worked up alongside completely fresh paintings, including a new London subject. The works produced for the exhibition at The Courtauld conveyed this particularly creative experience of transition, as Doig explored a rich variety of places, people, memories, and ways of painting.
Doig had long admired the collection of The Courtauld Gallery, and the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists who were at its heart had been a touchstone for Doig’s own painting and printmaking over the course of his career. Visitors were able to consider Doig’s contemporary works in the light of paintings by earlier artists in The Courtauld’s collection that were important for him, such as those by Cézanne, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, and Van Gogh.
The Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery also showcased the artist’s work as a printmaker with a display that unveiled for the first time a series of prints Doig made in response to the poetry of his friend and collaborator, the late Derek Walcott (1930-2017). Entry to “Peter Doig: Etchings for Derek Walcott” was included in the Peter Doig exhibition 2024 ticket.
Many of these pieces were created after he relocated to Trinidad in 2002 and were initially exhibited in the UK. The show provided a thorough overview of Doig’s creative development, showcasing his recurrent themes and unique perspective in addition to showcasing his continuous experimenting with image-making methods.
Julian Opie: Bridging Minimalism and Art History
Julian Opie, known for his artwork reminiscent of pop art, creates pieces consisting of black line drawings with minimal detail, showcasing animated strolling figures and portraits. His themes encompass engagement with art history, utilization of new technology, and a focus on the human body. Critics have lamented his “limited repertoire of tricks” and labeled his work as “slight and ultimately commercial, if not actually kitsch.”
Opie himself describes his approach as striving for realism and considering whether he would want the artwork in his own room or if it would be suitable to present to God. Notable works include the four-sided LED sculpture “Ann Dancing,” installed in Indianapolis in 2007 as the first artwork on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, and a monument to singer Bryan Adams.
Julian Opie’s artistic style is characterized by its minimalistic or cartoon-like appearance, yet it engages in a profound dialogue with art history and employs various techniques. His work often explores portraiture, aiming to dissect how images are perceived by reducing them to essential elements.
Opie employs diverse media, including steel for sculptures inspired by everyday objects, vinyl for artworks like road signs, LED screens for high-profile commissions emphasizing movement, lenticular prints for creating the illusion of motion, 3D printing for detailed portraits, painting on aluminum using auto paint for a sleek finish, silkscreen prints on various surfaces, inkjet and digital printing for precise reproduction, and film for continuous loop animations. Despite the modern processes, Opie’s work reflects influences from classical art traditions while constantly evolving with contemporary innovations.
Global Recognition and Public Installations
Major museum exhibitions around the globe have featured his work, including those at the Berlin’s Kunstverein, the London’s Hayward Gallery and ICA, the Munich’s Lehnbachhaus, the Dusseldorf’s K21, the Malaga’s CAC, the Valencia’s IVAM, the Krakow, the Shanghai’s Fosun Foundation, the Seoul’s Suwon IPark Museum of Art, the Delhi Triennial, the Venice Biennial, and Documenta. He has participated in several international and UK shows.
Opie, who is represented by twelve galleries globally, has worked on many public projects in different cities across the globe. Some of the notable locations for notable installations are PKZ in Zurich, Arendt and Medernach in Luxembourg, Taipei in Taiwan, Taipei in Luxembourg, Taipei in Switzerland, River Vltava in Prague (2007), Phoenix Art Museum in the USA (2007), Dublin City Gallery in Ireland (2008), and more recently, permanent installations at PKZ in Zurich, Taipei in Taiwan, Tower 535 in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, and WTC in Lisbon.
The British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Arts Council, British Council, National Portrait Gallery in London, Essl Collection in Vienna, IVAM in Spain, Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Takamatsu City Museum of Art in Japan, Museum of Modern Art in New York, ICA in Boston, and Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh are a few public art collections that own works by Opie.
