Special Frankel exhibit to make debut on British Champions Day

Frankel being photographed for QIPCO British Champions Day by Chris Levine.

Chris Levine, the light artist famous for his iconic portrait of the Queen, Lightness of Being (2007), is to unveil a dramatic new portrait of Frankel on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 19 October.

Levine, widely-recognised as a pioneering artist, has created a revolutionary new image using a unique light-based approach to portray the Champion Series star in a way never seen before.

Frankel was unbeaten in a fourteen-race career, including spectacular victories on British Champions Day in 2011 and 2012, making the Berkshire Racecourse the obvious place to unveil Levine’s important new artwork. 

Levine was fascinated by the horse’s extraordinary track record and gained special access to photograph him in June at Juddmonte’s Banstead Manor Stud. The result is a radical reworking of the age old tradition of equestrian portraiture that seeks to take us beyond a standard portrayal of a perfect physical specimen and instead present the viewer with Frankel’s imposing, captivating and daunting level of achievement.

By simultaneously capturing multiple frames in mere seconds, Levine’s unprecedented approach has created an awe-inspiring image that focuses attention on the energy of light surrounding and emanating from his subject, lending the work a realism that is almost magical.              

The outstanding imagery will be available to see on QIPCO British Champions day on Saturday 19 October, where top milers Toronado and Dawn Approach, as well as the Queen’s filly Estimate, are set to battle it out to be crowned champions of the British Flat season.

To buy tickets for QIPCO British Champions Day, visit Ascot Racecourse’s website.