Marcus Lyon

Marcus Lyon (born 22 August 1965) is a London based artist and photographer known for his portraiture and landscape work. Lyon is known for his research based self-published art books and exhibitions from the Human Atlas series. 
His works and publications are held in both private and international collections, including the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Art Institute of Chicago, The Menil Collection and the Arts Council of Great Britain.
==Life & Work==
Lyon was born in Exeter, UK. His father was an industrialist and his mother a writer. He received his first camera at the age of 13 as a gift. He was raised in rural England in Amberley, West Sussex. His early years were much influenced by time spent observing the artistic community built by Alan Caiger-Smith at the Aldermaston Pottery.
After studying Political Science at Leeds University founded the Glassworks Studio as an atelier and production house for his commissioned and personal work. As a portrait artist, Lyon has photographed a diverse range of public figures from Queen Elizabeth II, four British Prime Ministers, actor Bill Nighy https://www.productionparadise.com/spotlight/portraiture-and-celebrity-photography-407/glassworks-13105.html#photo PORTRAITURE & CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHY OCT 2010: LONDON: GLASSWORKS. Accessed 29 June 2021 and film director Fernando Meirelles https://blogdojuanesteves.tumblr.com/post/158157203981/somos-brasil-marcus-lyon SOMOS BRASIL >MARCUS LYON. Accessed 29 June 2021 .
His early work was much influenced by commissioned work for Amnesty International in Guatemala and subsequent projects with Non-Profits working with street children across South America, Africa and Asia. 
His focus on social impact photography led to leadership roles at the International Children’s Trust and the Consortium for Street Children https://www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs_nondb/State_of_the_Worlds_Street_Children_Research_final_PDF_online.pdf State of the World's Street Children Research. Accessed 29 June 2021 where he led turn-around work to refocus the organisations. He has also served as a board director of the Somerset House Trust https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/our-team OUR TEAM - CREATIVE AMBASSADORS. Accessed 29 June 2021. and Leader's Quest https://leadersquest.org/who-we-are/people/marcus-lyon Marcus Lyon UK Foundation Trustee. Accessed 29 June 2021 
After the millennium he turned his attention to his artwork and produced bodies of work on globalisation and science, such as: the BRIC’s, 
Exodus https://www.wired.com/2015/01/marcus-lyon-exodus/ Strange Visions of the Hyper-Congested Megacities of the Future Accessed 22 June 2021 , Timeout https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-15/british-photographer-marcus-lyon-s-timeout-series-imagines-what-unchecked-global-development-might-look-like British Photographer Marcus Lyon Timeout Series Imagines What Unchecked Global Development Might Look Like. Accessed 22 June 2021 , Intersection Marcus Lyon An idea leader Accessed 24 June 2021 , Optogenome and Fuel series.
In 2014 Lyon has founded the Human Atlas initiative https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/photography/change-makers-detroit-us-photos-b1564400.html After publishing books about Brazil and Germany, photographer Marcus Lyon launched  his new Human Atlas project about the US city. Accessed 29 June 2021 : a body of work bringing science and art together through images, sound and DNA. In this work his studio creates books and exhibitions that study nominated groups of social change agents in specified geographies through the lens of portraits, app-based image-activated soundscapes and ancestral DNA maps. To date, the team has created projects on Brazil https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-36945257 Projeto com retratos e DNA de 104 brasileiros que tenta desvendar 'força' de identidade nacional. Accessed 29 June 2021 , Germany https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDZj8d-rEgg WE: deutschland by Marcus Lyon. Accessed 29 June 2021 and Detroit https://eu.freep.com/story/entertainment/arts/2020/10/12/human-atlas-project-art-map-100-people-detroit/5935298002/ Telling the story of Detroit through 100 stunning portraits of people making a difference. Accessed 29 June 2021 . 
==Publications==
* Lyon, Marcus (2000). Tuna Marcus Lyon's Photography Book – Tuna. Accessed 22 June 2021 : London, UK: LYON. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1041118135 Tuna 
* Lyon, Marcus (2006). Flowers http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1041114655 Flowers : London, UK: LYON.
* Lyon, Marcus (2016). Somos Brasil – A Human Atlas of a Nation https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2016/jul/29/unravelling-brazils-diverse-dna Unravelling Brazil's diverse DNA. Accessed 22 June 2021 : São Paulo, Brazil: Editora Madalena & ImageMagica. ISBN 978-85-61921-06-4. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/974400829 Somos Brasil 
* Lyon, Marcus (2018). WE: deutschland – A Human Atlas http://studio-sutherland.co.uk/projects/we-deutschland.php We: deutschland. Accessed 22 June 2021 : London, UK: LYON. ISBN 978-15-2722-79-03
* Lyon, Marcus (2020). i.Detroit – A Human Atlas of an American City https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/15/us/detroit-human-atlas-marcus-lyon-iyw-trnd/index.html British artist creates a 'human atlas' of Detroit to tell 100 stories of the city's unsung heroes. Accessed 17 June 2021 : London, UK: LYON. ISBN 978-19-1636-68-00
 
==Selected Exhibitions==
* 1992 - Image 90’s: Arts Council Commission, Royal National Theatre, UK
* 1996 - Agfa Photographer of the Year: Tom Blau Gallery, UK
* 1996 - Archivo Contemporaneo: Florence, Italy
* 1998 - Street Children of Latin America: Anglo Mexican Institute – México
* 1999 - Niños: Fundación Guayasamín, Quito, Ecuador
* 2002 - Streetlife: Association Gallery, UK
* 2008 - BRICs: Dinaburg Arts, New York, USA
* 2010 - BRICs: Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
* 2010 - After the Headlines: Portcullis House, Houses of Parliament, London, UK
* 2011 - Exodus: Gallery 1508, Westminster, London, UK
* 2012 - The Paralympics: The Olympic Hospital, Homerton Health Trust, London, UK
* 2012 - BRICs & Exodus: Inception Gallery, Paris, France
* 2013 - Landmark: The Fields of Photography – Somerset House, London, UK
* 2013 - Exodus: Galeria Tempo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
* 2013 - Exodus: Spiridonov House, Moscow, Russia
* 2013 - Stadia: PhotoVisa, Krasnodar, Russia
* 2013 - Photo 51: Inigo Rooms, King’s College, London, UK
* 2014 - Stadia: Rosizo Museum, Moscow, Russia
* 2014 - BRICs: Festival de la Luz, Buenos Aires, Argentina
* 2015 - Exodus: SP.Arte: São Paulo, Brazil
* 2016 - Exodus: FotoIstanbul, Turkey
* 2016 - Exodus: Pingyao, China
* 2016 - Exodus: Shenyang Industry Museum, Liaoning, China
* 2017 - Optogenome: Nucleus, Noorderlicht, NL
* 2017 - Somos Brasil https://guia.folha.uol.com.br/exposicoes/espacos-culturais/somos-brasil-centro-brasileiro-britanico-pinheiros-2831381100.shtml Somos Brasil Centro Brasileiro Britânico Pinheiros. Accessed 10 June 2021 : CBB, São Paulo, Brazil 
File:SOMOS BRASIL EXHIBITION.jpg|thumb|Somos Brasil Exhibition in São Paulo, Brazil, 2017
* 2017 - Somos Brasil http://portuguese.xinhuanet.com/2017-09/19/c_136621470.htm Festival Internacional de Fotografia de Pingyao destaca obra Somos Brasil. Accessed 10 June 2021 : Pingyao, China
File:Somos Brasil Exhibition in China.jpg|thumb|Somos Brasil Exhibition in Pingyao, China, 2017
* 2018 - Somos Brasil, Royal Botanical Gardens https://www.headon.com.au/exhibitions/somos-brasil Marcus Lyon Featured Exhibition. Accessed 10 June 2021 : Sydney, Australia 
 
* 2019 - Embassy of Brazil https://spectrumphoto.co.uk/somos-brasil-by-marcus-lyon Somos Brasil by Marcus Lyon. Accessed 10 June 2021 : London, United Kingdom
==Selected Awards==
* 1990 - B&H Gold Award 
* 1996 - Agfa Photographer of the year 
* 2001 – D&AD Graphite Pencil / Editorial & Books / Book Covers for ‘Tuna’ book D&AD Graphite Pencil for Tuna. Accessed 22 June 2021 
* 2001 – D&AD Wood Pencil / Graphic Design / Self-Promotional Items for ‘Tuna’ book D&AD Wood Pencil for Tuna. Accessed 22 June 2021 
* 2010 - AOP Award for ‘BRICs’ project
* 2017 – D&AD Yellow Pencil / Book Design / Culture, Art & Design Books Visualisation for ‘Somos Brasil’ book D&AD Yellow Pencil for Somos Brasil. Accessed 22 June 2021 
* 2017 – D&AD Graphite Pencil / Graphic Design / Integrated Graphics for ‘Somos Brasil’ book D&AD Graphite Pencil for Somos Brasil. Accessed 22 June 2021 
* 2017 – D&AD Graphite Pencil / Graphic Design / Data Visualisation for ‘Somos Brasil’ book D&AD Graphite Pencil for Somos Brasil book. Accessed 22 June 2021 
* 2019 - British Book Awards - Best Self-published Book for ‘WE: deutschland’ book British Book Awards. Accessed 15 June 2021 
 
* 2021 – D&AD Wood Pencil / Graphic Design / Integrated for ‘i.Detroit’ book D&AD Wood Pencil for i.Detroit Accessed 24 June 2021 
* 2021 – Design Week Awards – Editorial Design / Social Design for ‘i.Detroit’ book Design Week Awards Accessed 24 June 2021 
 
Category:1965 births
Category:Artists from London
Category:Photographers from London