Holographer Sues Artist Over Credit for Iconic Queen Elizabeth II Portrait “Equanimity“
LONDON – A legal dispute has erupted over the authorship of Chris Levine‘s celebrated portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, “Equanimity,” with holographer Robert Munday filing a lawsuit against Levine seeking co-author credit. The dispute follows a settlement reached in September with the Jersey Heritage Trust,who originally commissioned the groundbreaking holographic portrait in 2004.
The Jersey Heritage Trust had sued Levine in July 2024, alleging breach of contract and copyright infringement, claiming Levine owed them money from sales of unlicensed copies of the portraits, perhaps worth millions. A joint statement released after the settlement affirmed Levine as the sole commissioned artist,acknowledging the collaborative effort involving Munday (of UK Company Spatial Imaging),Jeffrey Robb (also of Spatial Imaging),and Dr. John Perry (USA).
Though, Munday initiated separate legal action after Levine posted a now-deleted instagram statement declaring himself the “sole author” of the work. Munday is seeking to be officially recognized as a co-author and for Levine to publicly acknowledge their joint creation of the portraits.
Levine vehemently disputes munday’s claim, stating, “Mr Munday does not hold any copyright in Equanimity or Lightness of Being. Jersey Heritage Trust…have publicly confirmed that I was the sole commissioned artist.” He characterized Munday as a “technical subcontractor” and part of his production team, “not as an artistic partner.”
“This is an ongoing attempt to rewrite history and the motives are obvious,” Levine added. ”Any claim on my rights will be fiercely defended. This is my art.”
the portrait, titled “Equanimity,” and its companion piece, “Lightness of Being,” were created using a complex holographic process. Levine, who studied at Chelsea School of Art and Central Saint Martins School of Art, previously told The Guardian in 2009 that he considers himself an artist working with light, rather than a photographer.
“Equanimity” has become an iconic image of the late Queen, featured in exhibitions such as Sotheby’s 2022 show power & Image: Royal Portraiture & Iconography and serving as the cover image for Levine’s forthcoming monograph, Inner Light: The Portraiture of Chris Levine.
