Christopher Le Brun

Why this artist matters now

Christopher Le Brun works primarily in painting, producing large-scale canvases that draw on mythological and Romantic imagery through a gestural, heavily layered handling of paint. His compositions frequently evoke horses, spectral figures, and nocturnal landscapes rendered with an atmospheric density that resists narrative resolution. He served as President of the Royal Academy of Arts from 2011 to 2019, a tenure that placed him at the centre of British institutional art life. His paintings occupy a sustained dialogue with Northern European Romanticism while remaining grounded in the physical act of mark-making.

Source: Lisson Gallery · Trust score: 100% · Updated 2mo ago