Alan Lee (born 20 August 1947) is an English book illustrator and film

conceptual design Conceptual design is an early phase of the design process, in which the broad outlines of function and form of something are articulated. It includes the design of interactions, experiences, processes, and strategies. It involves an understanding of ...

er. He is best known for his artwork inspired by

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

's fantasy novels, and for his work on the conceptual design of Peter Jackson's film adaptations of Tolkien, ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'' film series.

Biography

Alan Lee was born in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, England, and studied at the

Ealing School of Art Ealing Art College (or Ealing Technical College & School of Art) was a further education institution on St Mary's Road, Ealing, London, England. The site today is the Ealing campus of University of West London. History In the early 1960s the Sch ...

Illustration

Lee has illustrated dozens of

fantasy books Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fan ...

, including some non-fiction, and many more covers. Among the numerous works by

that he has illustrated are the 1992 centenary edition of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...

'', a 1999 edition of ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ''N ...

'', the 2007 ''

The Children of Húrin ''The Children of Húrin'' is an epic fantasy novel which forms the completion of a tale by J. R. R. Tolkien. He wrote the original version of the story in the late 1910s, revised it several times later, but did not complete it before his dea ...

'', the 2017 ''

Beren and Lúthien ''Beren and Lúthien'' is a compilation of multiple versions of the epic fantasy Lúthien and Beren by J. R. R. Tolkien, one of Tolkien's earliest tales of Middle-earth. It is edited by Christopher Tolkien. It is the story of the love and adve ...

'', the 2018 ''

The Fall of Gondolin J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Fall of Gondolin'' is one of the stories which formed the basis for a section in his posthumously-published work, '' The Silmarillion'', with a version later appearing in ''The Book of Lost Tales''. In the narrative, ...

'', and the 2022 ''

The Fall of Númenor ''The Fall of Númenor'' is a fantasy work collecting all J. R. R. Tolkien's Second Age writings together. It is edited by Brian Sibley. The book uses "The Tale of Years" in the Appendices of ''The Lord of the Rings'' to present the content of ...

''. Non-Tolkien books he has illustrated include ''

Faeries A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

'' (with

Brian Froud Brian Froud (born 1947) is an English fantasy illustrator and conceptual designer. He is most widely known for his 1978 book ''Faeries'' with Alan Lee, and as the conceptual designer of the Jim Henson films '' The Dark Crystal'' (1982) and ' ...

), ''

Lavondyss ''Lavondyss'' also titled ''Lavondyss: Journey to an Unknown Region'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Robert Holdstock, the second book in his ''Mythago Wood'' series. ''Lavondyss'' was originally published in 1988. The name of the novel ...

'' by

Robert Holdstock Robert Paul Holdstock (2 August 1948 – 29 November 2009) was an English novelist and author best known for his works of Celtic, Nordic, Gothic and Pictish fantasy literature, predominantly in the fantasy subgenre of mythic fiction. Holds ...

, ''

The Mabinogion The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, create ...

'' (two versions), ''

Castles A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified ...

'' by David Day, ''The Mirrorstone'' by

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin w ...

, ''The Moon's Revenge'' by

Joan Aiken Joan Delano Aiken (4 September 1924 – 4 January 2004) was an English writer specialising in supernatural fiction and children's alternative history novels. In 1999 she was awarded an MBE for her services to children's literature. For ''The ...

, and ''Merlin Dreams'' by

Peter Dickinson Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE FRSL (16 December 1927 – 16 December 2015) was an English author and poet, best known for children's books and detective stories. Dickinson won the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association ...

.. Retrieved 15 July 2012. He has illustrated retellings of classics for young people. Two were

Rosemary Sutcliff Rosemary Sutcliff (14 December 1920 – 23 July 1992) was an English novelist best known for children's books, especially historical fiction and retellings of myths and legends. Although she was primarily a children's author, some of her novel ...

's versions of the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...

'' and the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

''—namely, '' Black Ships Before Troy'' (

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, 1993) and ''The Wanderings of Odysseus'' ( Frances Lincoln, 1995). Another was

Adrian Mitchell Adrian Mitchell FRSL (24 October 1932 – 20 December 2008) was an English poet, novelist and playwright. A former journalist, he became a noted figure on the British Left. For almost half a century he was the foremost poet of the country's C ...

's version of Ovid's ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

''—namely, ''

Shapeshifters In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ...

'' ( Frances Lincoln, 2009). Lee made cover paintings for the 1983 Penguin edition of

Mervyn Peake Mervyn Laurence Peake (9 July 1911 – 17 November 1968) was an English writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the '' Gormenghast'' books. The four works were part of what Peake conceived ...

's ''Gormenghast'' trilogy. He also did the artwork for '' Alive!'', a 2007 CD by the Dutch band

Omnia Omnia may refer to: * Omnia (band), a pagan folk band from the Netherlands * Omnia (DJ) Evgeny Smirnov ( uk, Євген Смирнов), better known by his stage name Omnia, is a Ukrainian DJ and music producer, born May 18, 1987 in Donets ...

, released during the Castlefest festival.

Watercolour painting Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...

and pencil sketches are two of Lee's common

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

Film

Lee and John Howe were the lead concept artists of Peter Jackson's ''Lord of the Rings'' films and were recruited by director Guillermo del Toro in 2008 for continuity of design in the subsequent ''The Hobbit'' films, before joining Jackson when he took over the ''

Hobbit Hobbits are a fictional race of people in the novels of J. R. R. Tolkien. About half average human height, Tolkien presented hobbits as a variety of humanity, or close relatives thereof. Occasionally known as halflings in Tolkien's writings, ...

'' films project. Jackson has explained how he originally recruited the reclusive Lee. By courier to Lee's home in the south of England, he sent two of his previous films, ''

Forgotten Silver ''Forgotten Silver'' is a 1995 New Zealand mockumentary film that purports to tell the story of a pioneering New Zealand filmmaker. It was written and directed by Peter Jackson and Costa Botes, both of whom appear in the film in their roles as ...

'' and ''

Heavenly Creatures ''Heavenly Creatures'' is a 1994 New Zealand biographical psychological drama film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his partner, Fran Walsh, and starring Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in their feature film debu ...

'', with a note from himself and

Fran Walsh Dame Frances Rosemary Walsh (born 10 January 1959) is a New Zealand screenwriter and film producer. The partner of filmmaker Peter Jackson, Walsh has contributed to all of their films since 1989: as co-writer since '' Meet the Feebles'', and ...

that piqued Lee's interest enough for him to become involved. Lee went on to illustrate and even to help construct many of the scenarios for the movies, including objects and weapons for the actors. He made two cameo appearances: in the opening sequence of '' The Fellowship'' as one of the nine kings of men who became the Nazgûl; and in ''

The Two Towers ''The Two Towers'' is the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy novel ''The Lord of the Rings''. It is preceded by ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' and followed by ''The Return of the King''. Title and publication ''The Lord of the ...

'' as a Rohan soldier in the armoury (over the shoulder of

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argent ...

Aragorn Aragorn is a fictional character and a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. Aragorn was a Ranger of the North, first introduced with the name Strider and later revealed to be the heir of Isildur, an ancient King of Ar ...

who is talking to

Legolas Legolas (pronounced ) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. He is a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of the nine members of the Fellowship who set out to destroy the One Ring. He and the Dwarf Gimli ...

in Elvish). Lee worked as a conceptual designer on the films ''

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

'', ''

Erik the Viking ''Erik the Viking'' is a 1989 British comedy- fantasy film written and directed by Terry Jones. The film was inspired by Jones's children's book ''The Saga of Erik the Viking'' (1983), but the plot is completely different. Jones also appears i ...

'', ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'' and the television mini-series '' Merlin.'' The art book ''

'', produced in collaboration with

, was the basis of a 1981 animated feature of the same name. Two years after completion of ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series, Lee released a 192-page collection of his conceptual artwork for the project, entitled ''The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook'' (

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

, 2005). Peter Jackson said, "His art captured what I hoped to capture with the films."

Books illustrated

* ''

'' (1978) * ''Castles'' (1984) * ''

Brokedown Palace ''Brokedown Palace'' is a 1999 American drama film directed by Jonathan Kaplan, and starring Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman and Lim Kay Tong. It deals with two American friends imprisoned in Thailand for alleged drug smuggling. Its ...

'' (1986) * ''

The Return of the Shadow ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1988) Cover art only (for American editions) * ''

The Treason of Isengard ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1989) Cover art only (for American editions) * ''

The War of the Ring ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1990) Cover art only (for American editions) * ''

'' (1991) * ''

The Atlas of Middle-earth ''The Atlas of Middle-earth'' by Karen Wynn Fonstad is an atlas of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional realm of Middle-earth. It was published in 1981, following Tolkien's major works ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'', and ''The Silmarillion''. ...

'' (1991) Cover art only * ''

Sauron Defeated Sauron (pronounced ) is the title character and the primary antagonist, through the forging of the One Ring, of J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'', where he rules the land of Mordor and has the ambition of ruling the whole of Midd ...

'' (1992) Cover art only (for American editions) * ''

'' (1997) * ''

'' (2007) * ''

Tales from the Perilous Realm ''The Tolkien Reader'' is an anthology of works by J. R. R. Tolkien. It includes a variety of short stories, poems, a play and some non-fiction. It compiles material previously published as three separate shorter books ('' Tree and Leaf, Farme ...

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2017) * ''The Wanderer and Other Old-English Poems'' (2018) (Folio Society) * ''

'' (2018) * '' Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth'' (2020) * ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2022) (Folio Society) * ''

'' (2022)

Awards

For his 1978 book with Brian Froud, ''Faeries'', Lee was runner-up for the fantasy

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

, year's best art or illustrated book. Lee, Alan"
. Index of Art Nominees. Locus Index to SF Awards. Retrieved 29 November 2012. For illustrating ''Merlin Dreams'' by

(1988), he won the annual Chesley Award for Best Interior Illustration and he was a highly commended runner-up for the Greenaway Medal."Kate Greenaway Medal"
. 2007(?). Curriculum Lab. Elihu Burritt Library.

Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut ...

. Retrieved 30 August 2012. He also won the BSFA Award for Best Artwork, for that year's best single new image. Five years later, he won the Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. The book was '' Black Ships Before Troy'' by

, a version of the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ...

story.(Greenaway Winner 1993)
. Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners.

CILIP The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, since 2017 branded CILIP: The library and information association (pronounced ), is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers in the ...

. Retrieved 15 July 2012. For the 60th anniversary edition of ''The Hobbit'', Tolkien's 1937 classic, Lee won his second Chesley Award for Interior Illustration (he is a finalist eight times through 2011). For that year's work he won the annual

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...

, Best Artist, at the 1998

World Fantasy Convention The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an ...

. In 2000, he won the competitive, juried

Spectrum Award The Spectrum Awards were established in 1994 by Cathy Fenner and Arnie Fenner to recognize the best in fantasy, science fiction, and horror artwork created each year. Spectrum Award categories * Grand Master * Advertising * Book * Comics * Concept ...

for fantastic art in the grandmaster category.2000 Spectrum Awards.
Lee,

Grant Major Grant Major (born 1955) is an art director from New Zealand who is most famous for his work on ''The Lord of the Rings'' films. He won an Oscar for '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''. Oscar nominations All of these are in Best A ...

and

Dan Hennah Dan Hennah is a production designer from New Zealand who worked on ''The Lord of the Rings (film series), The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit (film series), The Hobbit'' films. He won an Oscar for ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the K ...

earned the 2004

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Art Direction for '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'', third in the film trilogy.

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Faeries
at AllMovie * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Alan 1947 births Living people Best Art Direction Academy Award winners British speculative fiction artists BSFA Award for Best Artwork winner English children's book illustrators English illustrators Fantasy artists Kate Greenaway Medal winners Tolkien artists World Fantasy Award-winning artists