Michael Leavitt

Michael Leavitt is a visual artist widely known for his “Art Army” series of hand-made action figures depicting artists, musicians, and entertainers. Leavitt is responsible for a wide variety of conceptual art projects and performance artworks.

As a young child, Leavitt was influenced by the Native American wood craft, and the industrial manufacturing in the Pacific Northwest. As he prospered as an artist, his artworks became very structural and ready-made like. His famous work, “Art Army” series is considered as a fine art works that relate to the people of the past and present. The action figures that he made are “not toys” but are sculptures which are only available through fine art galleries. Leavitt believes that stating his works as a toy would define his works as a “figures engineering” and would not have a particular meaning. Since he has made his “Art Army” in wood, Leavitt states that that is one other reason why his figurines are not toys.

The Art Army is conceptually a good natured joke pieces rather than a stern one. All of the figurines depict array of genres, and “perceives the potential for his figures to act as bridges between pop and art history.” He not only brings his tastes into the figures, but also takes other “low brow” and urban contemporary artists’ styles into his work. Many of the action figures take on non-human form, as the likeness of the artist is shaped with trademark visual elements in their work. Leavitt has said, "I wanted to pay respect to people's work I love, and give them a little taste of their own medicine.”

Leavitt’s artwork has a special social angle that can be juxtaposed. His interest in people’s individuality brings the special quality that makes his art unique. Many see his art as too normal and boring, but closely, his art results in extremeness of the social and pop culture.