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.

Flash of Mauve, Splash of Puce (Phantom of the Opera), 2021
Acrylic on canvas
60″x54″, unframed

Just off the Bermondsey Road (Zandra Rhodes Collection), 2022
Acrylic on canvas
30″x30″, unframed

Curl of Lip, Swirl of Gown (Phantom of the Opera), 2019
Acrylic on canvas
60″x36″, unframed
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:

The Lion King, 2019
Acrylic on canvas
58″x58″, unframed
Artwork may not be used or reproduced © Disney
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.

The Show Must Go On, 2019
Acrylic on canvas
30″x54″ unframed

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
A terrific art creation. Bravo!
He’s one of my favorites!