Marcus Lyon (b. 1965) is a British artist. Born and raised in rural England, Lyon studied Political Science at University and leadership at Harvard Business School. As an artist, his early working life with Amnesty International in Latin America was the initial inspiration for his life-long exploration of the issues at the heart of globalization, identity and modern society.

He has been commissioned and exhibited globally. His works and publications are held in significant private and international collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, The Menil Collection, Art Institute of Chicago, the Arts Council Collection, Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

In the early 1990s he founded the Glassworks, a multidisciplinary art studio and gallery in central London for the production and exhibition of collaborative and original art. As a portrait artist, he has been commissioned to photograph a diverse range of public figures including Queen Elizabeth II and four British Prime Ministers. To date, his Human Atlas work has focused on Brazil in Somos Brasil and Germany in WE: deutschland. These significant social impact art projects have been exhibited in Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, China and Australia. The I.Detroit project represents the first Atlas of a city and will be followed by a collaboration in California called De.Coded — a Human Atlas of Silicon Valley with the Institute of Contemporary Arts in San Jose.

Outside of the art world, Lyon is a determined social entrepreneur and an active public speaker on art and leadership. A TED speaker, he has served on the boards of The Somerset House Trust in London and international leadership enterprise Leaders’ Quest. He is also a former Chairman of The Consortium for Street Children and a founder Ambassador of Home-Start UK, Photovoice and Blesma. He currently lives in London with his wife Bel and their Brazenglish children Florence and Arthur.