Cornish
Coast
The Cornish Coast series is indicative of Julian Opie’s desire to utilise new computer technology and photography to create a simplified and instantly recognisable image. Mimicking the visual language of commercialism, Opie demonstrates his ability to form a brand that is widely recognised whilst engaging with fine art.
Julian Opie Cornish Coast For sale
Cornish Coast Value (5 Years)
Julian Opie's Cornish Coast series has historically shown more modest results compared with the artist’s wider oeuvre, with auction prices ranging from £2498 to £5378. Average annual growth has remained modest at -10.41%, with certain works seeing declines in value. Over 7 total auction appearances, average selling prices have held steady around £4072. This series appeals to collectors seeking accessible entry points into Julian Opie’s print market.
Cornish Coast Market value
Auction Results
| Artwork | Auction Date | Auction House | Return to Seller | Hammer Price | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cornish Coast 2: Polridmouth Coast Julian Opie Signed Print | 18 Jan 2023 | Phillips London | £3,018 | £3,550 | £4,800 |
 Cornish Coast 2: Gribbin Head Julian Opie Signed Print | 29 Jan 2022 | SBI Art Auction | £4,250 | £5,000 | £5,500 |
 Cornish Coast 2: Lantivet Coast Julian Opie Signed Print | 7 Oct 2021 | Mallet Japan | £2,125 | £2,500 | £2,900 |
 Cornish Coast 1: Lantic Bay Julian Opie Signed Print | 28 Feb 2020 | Mallet Japan | £4,208 | £4,950 | £5,500 |
 Cornish Coast 2: Lantivet Bay Julian Opie Signed Print | 26 Oct 2019 | SBI Art Auction | £4,675 | £5,500 | £6,000 |
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Meaning & Analysis
Consisting of nine prints, Julian Opie’s Cornish Cost series shows a set of beautiful images of the coast in Cornwall. Six of these images are depicted in Opie’s highly simplified style, with block colours and simplified shapes, whilst a further four use the same images to depict the scenes in slightly more detail and colour.
Created using computer drawing programmes to manipulate digital photographs, these prints are inspired by holidays taken by the artist to Cornwall. Much of Opie’s work has been compared to the digitally rendered landscapes of video games in the way that they mimic a simultaneously familiar yet otherworldly sphere. Indeed, this print is uncanny in the sense of familiarity it strikes within the viewer, in part due to Opie’s depersonalised, slick style rendered through computer technology.
Speaking of his interest in producing landscape prints of Cornwall, Opie has said: “I think we use picturing all the time in order to navigate and interact and it’s how I know I am present. By putting that picture back out into the world, on the cave wall or website or gallery, I can extend, record and play with what I see. By looking at that picture there is a doubling up of the process, a view of a view.”
The Cornish Coast series is indicative of Opie’s desire to utilise new computer technology and photography to create a simplified and instantly recognisable image. In using saturated block colours and a limited palette of only four or five tones, Opie produces an aesthetically pleasing image when viewed at any distance. Opie’s prints such as those in the Cornish Coast series, use a highly recognisable and replicable style whereby the artist can make many versions of the same or similar subjects. Mimicking the visual language of commercialism, Opie demonstrates his ability to form a brand that is widely recognised whilst engaging with fine art.
