Marcus Harvey made his name with 'Myra', a 4x3m (13x10ft) canvas of a portrait of the child murderer, Myra Hindley made up of children's handprints. It was one of the most controversial pieces in 'Sensation' (1997, Royal Academy of Arts) - a member of the public threw eggs at it and constant security guards surrounded the canvas for the rest of the exhibition for fear of it being defaced again. It raised issues about photographs that are reproduced by the media over and over again that ultimately gain iconic status.
He has exhibited in London, Brussels and New York and was one of the original Young British Artists to graduate from Goldsmith's College in the late 1980s. He was born in Leeds.