Biography
Chris Levine is probably best known for his groundbreaking image of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, ‘Lightness of Being’, an extraordinarily intimate picture of the most famous woman in the world with her eyes closed.
It was hailed by the National Portrait Gallery as the most evocative image of a royal by any artist, and is recognised today as a 21st century icon.
His subsequent portraits of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Grace Jones and Frankel have captured the same sense of stillness, strength and equanimity.
In 2015 to mark the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday and offer another fresh take on a world-famous face, Levine became the second artist ever to take a formal portrait of His Holiness (the first being Annie Leibovitz). The proceeds raised by the 3D portrait were given to charities helping in the wake of the devastating Nepal earthquake.
Levine is not a portrait artist in the traditional sense though. His light-based body of work crosses many mediums, including performance, music, immersive installations, fashion and fine art, pushing the boundaries of what light art can do and how it can have a transformative effect on the viewer.
His experimental practice harnesses a diverse array of technology including holograms and lasers to explore how light is fundamental to human experience, and the meditative and immersive properties of light and sound.
Levine’s status as one of the world's leading light artists has led to a number of high-profile collaborations with the likes of Massive Attack, Grace Jones, Asprey jewellers and The Eden Project.