Christopher Marley is an American artist, author, and naturalist born in Los Angeles and raised in the Pacific Northwest. At 18 he left home and lived for over a decade in dozens of countries pursuing a career in fashion while studying art and design. His unique aesthetic was honed while working for iconic brands such as Luis Vuitton, Georgio Armani, Gucci, Donna Karan, and Nike.
Marley’s artwork has been exhibited in hundreds of galleries and special exhibits worldwide. These solo exhibitions have spanned a varied cross-section of society. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, the Beaty Biodiversity Museum in Vancouver B.C., The Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the Stamford Art Museum, Los Angeles Museum of Art, WMODA and the Queens Museum have all featured Marley’s work. Many of the world’s most exclusive retailers such as Berdorf Goodman, Saks 5th Avenue (NYC), Gumps (San Francisco), Barney’s (NYC), and La Galerie du Bon Marche (Paris) have also hosted solo exhibitions.
His first book, “Pheromone, The Insect Art of Christopher Marley” (Pomegranate, 2008) was named one of the Best Books of 2008 by The Times (UK) and his second book, “Biophilia” (Abrams, 2015) is a New York Times Bestseller. Marley’s new “Exquisite Creatures” book is the most comprehensive of his works and was recently released in 2023.
Marley’s images have been licensed by the World Wildlife Fund, National Geographic Explorer, Kyoto Journal, Science News, Johns Hopkin University Press, and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Times (UK), Scientific American, Wired, Slate, Audubon magazine, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, Marie Claire (France), Vogue (Italia), Town and Country, Smithsonian.com, American Art Collector, GIZ (Brazil), Harper’s Bazaar as well as NPR, Voice of America and CBS Sunday Morning.
Marley’s work has been credited with inspiring some of the world’s top designers and brands including Tory Burch, Alexander McQueen, and Nike.
He maintains studios in Willamette Valley, Oregon and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
ARTIST STATEMENT
In my mind, there is little separating art and life sciences. It is like trying to extricate dance from music. Art’s purpose is to heighten our aesthetic sensibilities, to sharpen our ability to experience beauty, to empathize with those life systems we come into contact with, to derive pleasure or stimulation from our interaction with arranged elements, in whole or in part. How does nature differ? We dance with it and within it. The aesthetics of nature is the rhythm we move to.
Christopher Marley