CHRISTOPHER LE BRUN

Early Years

Born in Portsmouth in 1951, Le Brun studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and Chelsea School of Art in London. He quickly gained recognition in the late 1970s and early 1980s, winning the John Moores Painting Prize twice (1978, 1980), exhibiting at the 1980 Venice Biennale, and participating in the influential Zeitgeist exhibition at Martin-Gropius Bau, Berlin, in 1982. Le Brun has been a trustee for major British institutions including Tate, the National Gallery, Dulwich Picture Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Royal Drawing School. He lives and works in London.

Christopher Le Brun Artworks

Le Brun’s contemporary art practice is defined by a commitment to the expressive and imaginative possibilities of painting, as well as a deep engagement with art history. His works move between abstraction and figuration, often layering vibrant colour and gestural brushwork to evoke a sense of atmosphere and poetic narrative.

Early Paintings and Figurative Work

In the 1980s, Le Brun became known for paintings that combined mythic imagery, landscape, and the tradition of English Romanticism with expressive abstraction. These early works established his reputation as a painter deeply engaged with both historical and contemporary themes.

Abstraction, Modular Compositions, and Recent Developments

Over the years, Le Brun’s art has evolved toward greater abstraction, with a focus on the formal and material possibilities of painting. His recent works include large modular canvases and multipart compositions, as well as monumental triptychs. Le Brun’s paintings and prints are celebrated for their luminous surfaces, dynamic brushwork, and evocative use of colour.

Sculpture and Public Art

Le Brun has also created significant works in sculpture, including public commissions such as Union (horse with two discs) for the Museum of London and The Monument to Victor Hugo in St Helier, Jersey. His sculptural works echo the lyricism and formal inventiveness of his paintings.

Select Public Commissions

• Union (horse with two discs), Museum of London
• City Wing, Threadneedle Street, London
• The Monument to Victor Hugo, St Helier, Jersey

Select Awards and Accolades

• John Moores Painting Prize (1978, 1980)
• President, Royal Academy of Arts, London (2011–2019)
• Knighthood (Knight Bachelor) for services to the arts (2021)
• Honorary Fellow, Liverpool John Moores University (2025)

Exhibitions

Christopher Le Brun has been the subject of both solo and group exhibitions at important institutions. Below is a selection of important exhibitions.

Solo Exhibitions

• Almine Rech Paris, Turenne (2025)
• Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing (2021)
• Albertz Benda, New York (2020, 2017)
• Lisson Gallery, Shanghai (2019)
• Lisson Gallery, London (2018)
• Southampton Art Gallery, UK (2018)
• Wolfson College, Cambridge (2018)
• Colnaghi, London (2015)
• Friedman Benda, New York (2014)
• New Art Centre, Wiltshire (2010)
• The New Art Gallery, Walsall (2008)

Group Exhibitions

• Venice Biennale (1980)
• Zeitgeist, Martin-Gropius Bau, Berlin (1982)
• Jinan International Biennale, Shandong Art Museum, China (2020–21)
• Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London (multiple years)
• Brink: Caroline Lucas Curates the Towner Collection, Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne (2019–20)
• Love, Life, Death and Desire, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven (2020)
• Environmental Reflections, Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Malibu (2020)

Collections

Le Brun’s works are held in major museum collections, including:

• Tate, London
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
• Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Victoria & Albert Museum, London
• British Museum, London
• Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
• Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
• Museum of Contemporary Art & Urban Planning (MoCAUP), Shenzhen
• Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing

Website and Instagram

Christopher Le Brun’s website can be found here.

More Reading

Le Brun’s practice has been featured in leading publications and is represented by Lisson Gallery, Albertz Benda, and Almine Rech.

Christopher Le Brun FAQs

Ocula | 2025