The British contemporary artist Julian Opie is the subject of a solo exhibition titled Julian Opie: Collected Works/Works Collected, on view through March 6, 2022 at Newlands House Gallery, Petworth, UK. Situated in a historic 18^th-century townhouse, Newlands House Gallery opened its doors to the public in March of 2020 and has since staged exhibitions featuring prominent 20^th-century artists. As its fifth exhibition—following those of celebrated artists such as Helmut Newton, Ron Arad, and Joan Miro—Julian Opie: Collected Works/Works Collected showcases over 100 pieces from the artist’s personal collection, ranging from antiquities to contemporary art, alongside a selection of his own sculptures, paintings, and films.

Opie has often referred to drawing inspiration from antiquities and works by other contemporary artists, mentioning that “the work of others pushes me beyond what I know and assume," and that it "suggests new logics and approaches.” In this context, Julian Opie: Collected Works/Works Collected provides yet another opportunity to reflect on the British artist’s interest in art spanning centuries of history.

Displayed in the exhibition are Opie’s paintings characterized by his signature style of simple lines and flat colors, LED installations, mosaic portraits, sculptures, and videos alongside his personal collection of art that has inspired his unique work. His collection of art spans a range of eras and genres, from Greco-Roman statuary and Egyptian sarcophagi to works by contemporary artists such as Chuck Close, Roy Lichtenstein, and Sol LeWitt. Each piece from the artist’s personal collection comes into intimate dialogue with his work. For instance, everyday scenes of Japanese women portrayed by the renowned Ukiyo-e printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro hang next to Ruth Smoking 2. (2006)—Opie’s animated LCD portrait of a woman smoking a cigarette, while silhouette portraits by the 19th-century French painter Auguste Edouard are presented in juxtaposition with Opie’s own series of silhouettes depicting his family and friends. Installed in the center of the garden is Yoko XIX (2006), the British contemporary artist Don Brown’s sculptural portrait of his wife, alongside two of Opie’s animal sculptures.

Meticulously curated in in consideration of the unique architecture of Newlands House Gallery, the show invites viewers to reflect on the stylistic and narrative similarities between works from a range of cultural milieus. In doing so, it places Opie’s oeuvre within a broader art historical context, providing a closer look into his artistic endeavor across various mediums and techniques.