Collection: CHRIS KLEIN

Chris Klein is a British artist. Exhibiting his work across Europe and North America, he is most recognized for his series of costume paintings, primarily from theatre and film, but also from the world of fashion, as well as Royal and museum collections. In 1983 Chris had his work accepted by the Royal Academy of Arts in London UK for their prestigious Summer Exhibition and has since won numerous awards and been featured in many publications internationally. As well as producing his own work, he is a scenic artist for film and theatre, having created backdrops and related artwork for major productions in London's West End and Broadway, and painted for many major Hollywood films and Cirque du Soleil. For 10 years he was head of scenic art at the Stratford Festival and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, which inspired him to paint costumes from the shows: this has proven to be his most popular series. However his Second Hand series of junkyard paintings shares his unique ability to paint texture, colour and light, with an industrial edge. Following his successful solo exhibition at Agora Gallery in 2016, Chris has exhibited in Quebec City, Ottawa, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Washington, Greece and Spain, and created costume paintings from the some of the most successful theatre shows in the world, including Phantom of the Opera and Disney’s The Lion King.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT:

As a scenic artist, I work closely with other departments and my costume paintings are my way of reaching out to some of the other forms of art that I am involved with. I work closely with designers,and this is my tribute to their work. It's also my tribute to the actors, performers and dancers for whom these costumes are made, and the vast array of skilled people who actually create them, cutting and stitching, embroidery, leather and metal work, the list goes on. And these costume invoke so many stories; the people who have worn them, the performances they have played and the stages they have walked.

I feel my Second Hand Series compliments my costumes. Both play with colour and texture, light and shadow. Although I paint them with a light, child-like humour, often titling the paintings with my personal thoughts and placing objects among the wreckage, there are also deeper motives, reflecting the contemporary age of “disposable everything”: they are landscapes of our modern era, humanity's global stamp on our planet.