Sir Christopher Mark Le Brun PPRA (born 1951) is a British artist, known primarily as a painter. President of the Royal Academy of Arts from 2011 to December 2019,[1][2] Le Brun was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours "for services to the arts".[3]


Christopher Mark Le Brun

Le Brun in 2018
Born (1951-12-20) 20 December 1951 (age 72)
Portsmouth, England, UK
Education
Known for
Notable workUnion (Horse with Two Discs)
SpouseCharlotte Verity
Awards
ElectedRA (1996); PRA (2011–19)
Websitechristopherlebrun.co.uk
Two paintings by Christopher Le Brun from his exhibition "New Painting" at Lisson Gallery, 2018

Biography edit

Le Brun was born in Portsmouth in 1951. From 1970–74, he studied for the DFA at Slade School of Art and for an MA at Chelsea College of Arts between 1974–75. He has taught and lectured at art schools, including Brighton, the Slade, Chelsea, Wimbledon and Royal Drawing School. A double prizewinner at the biennial John Moores Painting Prize, Le Brun was one of ten Shortlisted Prize Winners in 1978,[4] and won 3rd Prize in 1980.[5] His first solo exhibition was in 1980 with Nigel Greenwood Gallery[6] and soon after he was included in international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale[7] and Zeitgeist at Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin.[8] His international art include, "An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture]" at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1984, "Avant-garde in the Eighties"[9] at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1987 and "Contemporary Voices" at MoMA in 2005.

He was one of the five artists shortlisted for a monumental sculpture commission, the Ebbsfleet Landmark (Angel of the South) in 2008.[10] In 2011, he was the chief co-ordinator of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. On 8 December 2011, he was elected president of the Royal Academy[11] and interviewed about his role by the Guardian Professional Networks in 2013.[12] During his presidency, he was closely involved in the most significant redevelopment in the academy’s 250 year history.[13] Le Brun stepped down in December 2019.[14] He lives and works in London and is married to the artist Charlotte Verity.[11]

Printmaking edit

 
Christopher Le Brun, SL L IX, 2016, monoprint, 152 x 103 cm.

Le Brun is an experienced printmaker working in etching, lithography, woodcut and monotype. He had long term collaborations with Peter Kosowicz and Simon Marsh of the former Hope Sufferance Press as well as Paupers Press in London, Garner and Richard Tullis in Santa Barbara,[15] Michael Woolworth Publications in Paris and Graphic Studio in Dublin. Most recently, he has been working with Paragon Press in London.

Works edit

 
Christopher Le Brun, Union (Horse with Two Discs), 1999–2000, Bronze, 469 x 255 x 158 cm. Installed in New Art Centre, Wiltshire.
  • City Wing, 2009–13, 1,050 x 325 x 60 cm, bronze. A monumental sculpture was installed on Threadneedle Walk in Bank, London in 2013.
  • A cast of his large bronze sculpture, Union (Horse with Two Discs) 1999–2000, was acquired by and installed at the entrance to the Museum of London in 2005. This was Le Brun's first large scale bronze.

Notable publications include Seven Lithographs 1989, Fifty Etchings 1991, Four Riders 1993, Wagner 1994, Motif Light 1998, Paris Lithographs 2000, Fifty Etchings 2005, Seria 2015–2016, Composer 2017, Doubles 2018, New Painting 2018.

Public collections edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Sir Christopher Le Brun | Artist | Royal Academy of Arts". www.royalacademy.org.uk.
  2. ^ "Rebecca Salter PRA: the first female President of the Royal Academy of Arts | Blog | Royal Academy of Arts". www.royalacademy.org.uk. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  3. ^ "No. 63218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N2.
  4. ^ "John Moores exhibition 11, 1978". National Museums Liverpool. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023.
  5. ^ "John Moores exhibition 12, 1980". National Museums Liverpool. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023.
  6. ^ “Christopher Le Brun CV,” Lisson Gallery (website). https://lisson-art.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/file/body/16102/Christopher_Le_Brun_CV.pdf (Accessed 13 Jan. 2021).
  7. ^ La Biennale di Venezia: Arti Visive ’82 (Milan: Electa, 1982). [ISBN 9788820802912]
  8. ^ Joachimedes, Christos M. and Rosenthal, Norman, eds., Zeitgeist (Berlin: George Braziller, 1984). [ISBN 9780807610954]
  9. ^ art, Los Angeles county museum of (1987). Avant-garde in the Eighties: Exhibition Held at Los Angeles County Museum of Art 23 April-12 July 1987 /organised by Howard N. Fox ... County Museum of Art. ISBN 978-0-87587-138-7.
  10. ^ "The Ebbsfleet Landmark shortlist". The Guardian. 7 May 2008. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Christopher Le Brun becomes Royal Academy president". BBC. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  12. ^ Matthew Caines (2 July 2013). "Arts head: Christopher Le Brun, president, Royal Academy of Arts". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  13. ^ “President of London’s Royal Academy of Arts to Step Down,” Artforum (30 Sept. 2019). https://www.artforum.com/news/president-of-london-s-royal-academy-of-arts-to-step-down-80931 (Accessed 13 Jan. 21)
  14. ^ “Christopher Le Brun to Step Down as President of the Royal Academy of Arts,” Art Dependence (2 Oct. 2019). https://www.artdependence.com/articles/christopher-le-brun-to-step-down-as-president-of-the-royal-academy-of-arts/ (Accessed 13 Jan. 2021). See also “Christopher Le Brun Royal Academy President to Step Down,” Artlyst (26 Sept. 2019). https://www.artlyst.com/news/christopher-le-brun-royal-academy-president-step/ (Accessed 13 Jan. 2021).
  15. ^ Ranscombe, Siân (11 July 2014). "Flashback: Christopher Le Brun president of the RA, remembers working in his studio, 1986". Telegraph Magazine. p. 74. Archived from the original on 30 May 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  16. ^ "The Collection | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  17. ^ "The Sense of Sight". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Christopher Le Brun, born 1951, British, Kingdom, 2015". Yale Center for British Art. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  19. ^ Tate. "Christopher Le Brun PRA born 1951". Tate. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Brunhilde". The Victoria and Albert Museum. 5 August 1994.
  21. ^ "Collections Online | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  22. ^ "Works by Christopher Le Brun | Art Gallery of NSW". www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 13 August 2021.

External links edit

Cultural offices
Preceded by President of the Royal Academy
2011–2019
Succeeded by