Andrew Levitas

Andrew Levitas (born September 4, 1977) is an American painter, sculptor,^[1] filmmaker,^[2] writer, producer,^[3] photographer,^[4] and actor^[2] who in 2014 The New York Times declared "has the Midas touch".^[5]

Early life

Levitas was born in New York City. He attended Horace Mann School and then Dalton School in Manhattan. In high school, Levitas became a member of the downtown repertory company, City Kids, as well as a published writer. After graduating from The Dalton School, he attended New York University. He graduated in 2000 with a degree from the Gallatin School of NYU. He is Jewish.^[6]

Art career

In addition to a growing list of American and international gallery exhibitions, Levitas’ work has garnered attention through top auction houses, museums, and art fairs. 2012 highlights include a solo exhibition Metalwork Photograph: Sculptures at Phillips de Pury in Manhattan, as well as a ten-year retrospective Andrew Levitas: A Brief Survey 2002-2012 at New York University. 2014 highlights include the first solo exhibition ever presented at the highly anticipated Phillips, Berkeley square which included examples of Levitas’s earlier two-dimensional artwork in which he successfully fused metalwork and photography, as well as examples of the artist’s more recent works depicting crumpled sheets and three-dimensional freestanding installations, all made in his distinctive and innovative style.^[4][7][8][9]

Photographic sculpture

In 2004 Levitas burst onto the art scene with his "Metalwork Experiment." Developed by the artist, Metalwork Photography photographic sculptures are formed by a process involving the transfer of photographs onto custom transparencies that are in turn melted onto hand detailed sheets.^[10] The result is a work that combines the imagery of a photograph with the presence of a sculpture. While these works are printed as editions, they function as unique objects since each print differs, depending on the level of hand tooling.

Levitas’ installations are each composed of multi-paneled interlocking metal sheets whose collective impact transcends their individual materiality.^[11] The works’ strength is derived from their dual draw as photographs and sculptures, existing in an alternate dimension that intrigues and engages the eye. Accordingly, the artist emphasized the duplicitous nature of his art, stating that works are about "the beauty we discard and the filth we treasure." Other works included in the exhibition are crumpled sheets of metal that resonate with John Chamberlain’s mangled installations, inspired by the action Abstract Expressionist paintings that typified the Post-War New York School. However, as opposed to Chamberlain’s incorporation of readymades, Levitas’s creation and subsequent disfiguration of his own artwork adds a performative twist to his artwork that situates it at the vanguard of contemporary art.^{[4][12] [13]} The result is a work that combines the imagery of a photograph with the presence of a sculpture. While these works are printed as editions, they function as unique objects since each print differs, depending on the level of hand tooling.^[8]

Paintings

Levitas’ "organic abstractions" (paintings built from home made pigments, canvas, and organic materials – in some cases entire trees) have also received critical acclaim.^[14] The work, often reflective of Los Angeles life, is in part a commentary on emotion and the way we choose to express ourselves, as well as the ways in which we insulate ourselves from essential truth. The work also stresses a larger discourse on nature, the organic and its place in the contemporary world.^[13] It was with this body of work that in December 2008, Levitas was honored as one of only a handful of American painters ever accepted to the prestigious Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts since its founding in the 1860s.

Artists Collaborations

Blog shot

In 2015, Levitas created the CUBA X LEVITAS as part of an artist collaboration with the skate brand Supra ^[15] The limited edition shoe sold out over 10k pairs.

Film career

In 2012, Levitas directed the feature film Lullaby starring Garrett Hedlund, Academy Award Nominees Amy Adams, Richard Jenkins, Terrence Howard, Anne Archer, and Academy award Winner Jennifer Hudson, from his own screenplay. The film was released globally in 2014. Pete Hammond (Deadline) described the film as a "strong human drama" with "Jenkins a true actor's actor, delivering a very Oscar-worthy supporting turn." ^[16]

Levitas has also produced such films as Art of Getting By (Fox Searchlight) and Affluenza (2014), both of which feature his paintings and photography respectively; Bad Actress (Strand); Innocence (Killer Films); Regular Boy (2013); Last Moment of Clarity (2014); and At Any Price (Sony Classics).

Academic career

Levitas is also a part-time faculty member at New York University, teaching a course on "The Artist's Mind".^[17]

Personal life

Since October 2013, Levitas has been in a relationship with Welsh classical-crossover singer Katherine Jenkins.^[18] The pair were engaged in April 2014.^[19] They were married at Hampton Court Palace on September 27, 2014.^[20] Jenkins gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Aaliyah Reign Levitas, on September 30, 2015. The baby weighed in at 7lb. With his wife, Levitas wrote the song "8 Nights of Joy," which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and was on her album "Home Sweet Home," which went to number one on the charts ^[21]

Philanthropy

Levitas is the Global Patron for the Wilderness Foundation ^[22]

Global Wilderness Foundation - Andrew Levitas

Filmography

Producer

• Untitled Ramin Bahrani Project (2011) (co-producer)
• Great Neck (2013) (producer)
• Regular Boy (2014) (producer)
• Below the Surface (2011) (producer)
• The Art of Getting By (2011) (executive producer)
• Bad Actress (2011) (co-executive producer)
• Searching for Glitter (2009) (completed) (associate producer)
• Innocence (2014) (producer)^[23]
• Affluenza (2014) (Executive Producer)

Actor

• The Art of Getting By .... (2011)
• Holy Rollers (2010) .... David
• The Box (2009/I) .... Black Op
• Entourage .... Gregg (1 episode, 2009)
• Friendly Fire (2006) (V)
• Beauty Shop (2005) .... Stacy
• Hellbent (2004) .... Chaz
• North Shore .... Reese (1 episode, 2004)
• It's All Relative .... Eddie Donovan (1 episode, 2003)
• Psycho Beach Party (2000) .... Provoloney
• Boy Meets World .... Luther (1 episode, 1999)
• Party of Five .... Cameron Welcott (6 episodes, 1999)
• The Nanny .... Michael (4 episodes, 1998–1999)
• Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher .... Marco Romero (21 episodes, 1997–1998)
• In & Out (1997) .... Locker Room Guy

Director

• Lullaby (2013) (director & writer)

References