Artist sues for co-author credit score on Chris Levine’s queen portraits | Photography

An artist who claims he’s a co-creator of two of probably the most well-known photographs ever taken of the late queen is suing Chris Levine, the photographer who claims sole authorship of the portraits, in a excessive courtroom dispute.

Ben Munday claims he’s a co-author of two 2004 portraits of the queen that have been created utilizing holography expertise, which includes using gentle projection and a number of cameras to render a 3D picture.

In a courtroom submitting seen by the Guardian, Munday alleges Levine and his firm Sphere 9 breached his ethical rights over the works, titled Equanimity and Lightness of Being, that are each within the permanent collection on the National Portrait Gallery.

Levine, who shares copyright of the works, has not but filed a defence to Munday’s claims. It is the primary time Munday has taken authorized motion.

Taken in two sittings in late 2003 and early 2004, the photographs are arguably probably the most distinctive portraits of the monarch. They have been proven in among the UK’s most prestigious artwork galleries.

Munday stated he was making an attempt to be legally recognised as a joint artist with Levine, who he claims got here to him as a result of Levine couldn’t have created the holographic picture with out his experience.

“I’ve been going through this cycle for 20 years,” stated Munday, who skilled in holography after graduating from school within the early Eighties. “I’m not young any more; it felt like this had to be fought now or never.”

The photographs have been commissioned by the Jersey Heritage Trust to mark the 800th anniversary of the self-governing dependency of the UK pledging allegiance to the English crown.

Munday claims he and Levine, together with the belief, got here to a settlement in 2005 about authorship of the portraits however that Levine has since breached that.

The belief sued Levine in July 2024 for alleged breach of contract and copyright and claimed the artist owed it cash from gross sales of allegedly unlicensed copies of the portraits, probably price thousands and thousands.

The events settled out of courtroom in September this 12 months and stated in a joint assertion: “The parties acknowledge that Chris Levine was the sole artist commissioned by the Jersey Heritage Trust to create the portrait and both parties remain incredibly proud of the creative collaboration between artist Chris Levine, holographer Robert Munday of UK Company Spatial Imaging, Jeffrey Robb also of UK Company Spatial Imaging and Dr John Perry (USA) which resulted in the groundbreaking and iconic portrait of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II titled Equanimity.”

Munday stated he determined to take authorized motion after Levine posted an announcement on Instagram after the settlement with the belief. “Truth prevailed,” Levine wrote in a submit that has now been deleted. “I was the sole artist commissioned and am now legally recognised as the sole author of the work.”

While the joint assertion named Munday, it known as him a collaborator and never a co-creator of the portrait. He is searching for to be named as a co-author of the works and for Levine to publicly state they created the portraits collectively.

Levine stated: “Mr Munday does not hold any copyright in Equanimity or Lightness of Being. Jersey Heritage Trust, who commissioned the work, have publicly confirmed that I was the sole commissioned artist.”

He referred to Munday as “a technical subcontractor” employed to help in manufacturing “as part of my team, not as an artistic partner”.

He added: “Extraordinarily, as yet no details have been provided to me or my lawyers, and while I will not comment further on ongoing legal proceedings, I am confident that the facts, witnessed by all involved, will once again speak for themselves. This is an ongoing attempt to rewrite history and the motives are obvious. Any claim on my rights will be fiercely defended. This is my art.”

Levine, who studied graphic design at Chelsea School of Art and laptop graphics at Central Saint Martins School of Art, advised the Guardian in 2009 that he didn’t contemplate himself a photographer. “I’m an artist who works with light and who uses photography in his projects,” he stated.

Levine’s forthcoming monograph Inner Light: The Portraiture of Chris Levine makes use of the Lightness of Being on the duvet and within the 2009 Guardian interview he picked the portrait as his greatest shot.

It was included in Sotheby’s present Power & Image: Royal Portraiture & Iconography in 2022 alongside seven portraits of various queens.