Name: Running Men
Brand: Julian Opie
Rating: 5 (236 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Julian Opie's Running Men (signed) is estimated to be worth between £21,000 and £30,000. This screenprint has an impressive auction history, having been sold 3 times since its initial sale on 6th June 2018. The average annual growth rate of this work is 6% and over the past five years, the hammer price has ranged from £23,500 in April 2020 to £23,500 in April 2020. The average return to the seller is currently £27,200. This work is part of a limited edition of 50.

Meaning & Analysis

Running Men is a screen print from Julian Opie’s Runners series from 2016 that shows five full-length profiles of men running in varying directions across the square-format frame. As with many of Opie’s depictions of people, each figure is rendered with a featureless face. Despite this, these people are uniquely distinguishable due to Opie’s attention to detail with clothing and each person’s stance or gate.

Opie created this series from a selection of photographs and film, shot by two of his assistants, where many people were running past the camera. Speaking of this process Opie has said, “By drawing one stride with around 30 frames I can set a drawing in motion to run smoothly forever as an animation and, by group a few joggers together in a painting, I can create a dynamic, complex composition with implied movement.”

This print shows a complex composition that represents a split second in time, indicative of Opie’s interest in the movement of the human body. Each figure is depicted in varied styles of branded sports clothing and their headphone cables bounce as they run. Opie situates this print in the 21st century due to his astute attention to detail in clothing and technology.

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.