Chris Klein was born in North London in England and grew up with a passion for art, particularly drawing. When Christ was around 14 years, his sister bought him a set of oil paints and he never looked back. It gave him tremendous boost to sell his first painting when Chris was only 17. In his 30’, Chris started looking at possible scenic painting for film or theatre. His first project was helping with backdrops for “The Merry Widow,” a show for the Royal Opera House, being televised with the Queen present. It felt like he was jumping in at the deep end and it was the first time he had a job where his artistic skill was recognised as a qualification.

At 39, he married and moved to Montreal where he soon found work in theatre and the movie industry. He also continued having his work shown in galleries, with occasional sales. It was not until Chris started working at the Stratford Festival in Ontario as the Head of Scenic Art that he found himself drawn to the costume warehouse. Chris also started getting permission to paint from the biggest theatre shows such as the Phantom of the Opera. One thing led to another, and he was contacted by a high-profile gallery in New York who also offered him a solo show. At this time, he was introduced to Tom Schumacher, the president of Disney theatrical, who commissioned Chris Klein to produce a painting of the costumes from the Lion King. The painting was placed on the cover of their “Behind the Curtain” magazine, celebrating the show’s 20th anniversary in London.

He has also been painting from fashion collections. He became friends with Dame Zandra Rhodes, who has helped him to paint many pieces from her famous collections, including the original top that Freddie Mercury fell in love with. It became the most iconic top from many shows performed by the Queen. Brian May has allowed Chris to photograph from his personal collection. He will be donating one painting and a percentage of other sales to his charity, the Save Me Trust.