Name: Imagine You Are Driving (Fast) /Jacques
Brand: Julian Opie
Rating: 5 (235 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Julian Opie's Imagine You Are Driving (Fast) /Jacques (signed) is estimated to be worth between £2,000 to £3,000. This digital print artwork, created in 2002, has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 3%. There have been 1 total sale at auction since its entry to the market on 6th May 2023. The hammer price for this artwork in the last five years has ranged from £2,000 to £3,000, and the average return to the seller is £2,258. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 40.

Meaning & Analysis

Imagine You Are Driving (Fast)/Jacques is a digital print from Julian Opie’s Imagine You Are Driving (Fast) series from 2002, showing a portrait of the Canadian Formula 1 driver Jacques Villeneuve alongside an image of an open racetrack. The portrait of Villeneuve is typical of Opie’s pared-back style that uses thick bold lines, simplified shapes, block colours and minimised features.

The large expanse of tarmac on the right side of the print takes up about two thirds of the print, showing white lines and track markings that follow the rules of perspective to the slightly off-centre vanishing point. By pairing the portrait of Villeneuve with the racetrack landscape, the viewer is immediately made aware of who’s viewpoint we are seeing in the landscape.

Although the human presence is made clear in this print, Opie’s highly abstract and depersonalised style works to create the effect of a contemporary videogame, inviting the viewer to imagine their own virtual journey on this racetrack. Throughout the Imagine You Are Driving (Fast) series Opie works to create a slick, computer-generated image surface, Opie allows for a level of disengagement with the scenes. This level of depersonalisation subsequently invites the viewer to project their own personal emotions, memories and ideas onto the scene, thus filling in the blanks of the narratives that are to be read in Opie’s works.

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.