Chris Klein

Chris Klein is a hyperrealism painter who lives and works in Montréal, the largest city in Canada’s Québec province. Below is an interview with Lost in Composition discussing his life and works. Following the video are samples of his art, items discussed in our discussion, and links to his site. I thank Chris for his time and use of his images; it means a lot to me.  

My favorite painting by Chris is the one he painted for Disney, which became The Lion King brochure cover. I asked him if I could post an image of it on this page. Unfortunately, Disney holds the rights to this image, so I cannot post the painting. However, Disney did put the artwork out there, so I’ve scanned the front of the pamphlet:   

It may be hard for some to visualize the costumes Chris paints worn on stage. Most reading this probably haven’t been able to see the shows painted by Chris; I haven’t. The thing I like most about the costume paintings Chris creates is that I don’t need to be familiar with the shows to appreciate his works. For those reading who would like to see one of the costumes Chris has painted being worn, below is an image of the shirt worn by Freddie Mercury we discussed in the video, as well as an image of Freddie with the shirt on. 

During our interview, Chris and I discussed his paintings of crushed vehicles. Here is a timelapse video of him painting one: 

Chris Klein’s website: https://www.chrisklein.com

A list of galleries representing Chris can be found at the bottom of his homepage: https://www.chrisklein.com

Zandra Rhodes: https://zandrarhodes.com

Zandra Rhodes on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zandra_Rhodes

Victoria and Albert Museum: https://www.vam.ac.uk/

Victoria and Albert Museum on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_and_Albert_Museum

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited: https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/The_Jim_Henson_Exhibition:_Imagination_Unlimited

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio: https://www.caravaggio-foundation.org

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio on WIkipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio

Joseph Wright of Derby: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Wright_of_Derby

The Phantom of the Opera: https://www.thephantomoftheopera.com

Andrew Lloyd Webber: https://www.andrewlloydwebber.com

Andrew Lloyd Webber on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber

The Guild of Motoring Artists: https://www.motoringartists.com

Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_Moss

The Stratford Festival: https://www.stratfordfestival.ca

Brian May: https://brianmay.com

Brian May on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_May

Save Me Trust: https://savemetrust.co.uk

Freddie Mercury: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury

The Mercury Phoenix Trust: https://www.mercuryphoenixtrust.org

Queen: https://www.queenonline.com