Andrew Levitas

Andrew Levitas (born September 4, 1977) is an American painter, sculptor, filmmaker, writer, producer, photographer and restaurateur.

Levitas was born in New York City.

He attended Horace Mann School and then Dalton School in Manhattan.

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.

The New York Times declared that Social Impact Artist Andrew Levitas “has the Midas touch” when describing his continued work across multiple creative platforms.

Levitas has been a mainstay on the New York and European art scene for over two decades.

In 2004 Levitas produced his "Metalwork Experiment."

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.

Levitas’ installations are each composed of multi-paneled interlocking metal sheets whose collective impact transcends their individual materiality.

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 ready-mades, Levitas' creation and subsequent disfiguration of his own artwork adds a performative twist to his artwork that situates it at the vanguard of contemporary art.

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’ work has also 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.

Levitas' work has been showcased worldwide.

Most notably, his work has been acquired by museums including The National Museum Wales and 10 Downing Street and he is one of only a handful of American artists accepted to show with the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts at the Louvre.

Levitas' most recent sculptural work on environmental pollution debuted with a solo exhibition at The Goulandris Museum in Athens, where he was artist in residence in 2021.

Upcoming museum exhibitions include Lisbon, London, and Tel Aviv.

Levitas’ "organic abstractions" (paintings built from home made pigments, canvas, and organic materials – in some cases entire trees) have also received critical acclaim.

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.

Levitas’ fine art engages with the same environmental and inspirational themes that are seen in his films.

Levitas has worked on a number of collaborations with like minded brands — In 2015 Levitas created the CUBA X LEVITAS as part of an artist collaboration with the skate brand Supra.

Levitas wrote and directed the critically acclaimed 2020 feature film Minamata, which follows photojournalist W. Eugene Smith (Johnny Depp) who travels to the Japanese coastal town of Minamata to expose corporate negligence and government cover-ups by documenting one of the world’s most devastating environmental disasters.

Minamata had its gala premiere at Berlinale 2020, where it was acquired for theatrical distribution by MGM in 2021 with a subsequent Academy Award campaign.

At the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, the film ranked third place in the Oscars Fan Favorite contest.

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film scored 78%.

When MGM suppressed the release of the film due to the #MeToo smear campaign against the lead actor, Depp, many of the world’s great photojournalists rallied around Levitas and Minamata and shared how important and impactful this story about victims of corporate greed and environmental poisoning would be for the world to discover.

The film received dazzling reviews for both the production and Depp's performance.

The LA Times wrote, "Taken on its own merits — as an accessible if ahistorical dramatization of an environmental tragedy — Minamata does what it sets out to do very well" The Guardian called the film, "a forthright, heartfelt movie, an old-fashioned 'issue picture' with a worthwhile story to tell about how communities can stand up to overweening corporations and how journalists dedicated to truthful news can help them".

Greenpeace, commenting on why you should watch Minamata now, said, “Whether you like it or not, no one lives without environmental or human rights issues.

The happy ending may still be ahead.

But the journey is not endless.

Everyone could do something and make their own contribution.”

Prior to Minamata, Levitas wrote and directed Lullaby which stars Amy Adams, Richard Jenkins, Terrence Howard, Jennifer Hudson and Garrett Hedlund.

The film, an exploration of patients’ rights, was described by Pete Hammond (Deadline) as a “strong human drama” with “Jenkins a true actor’s actor, delivering a very Oscar-worthy supporting turn.” The premiere of the film was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.