Hollywood actor Johnny Depp is selling portraits of public figures such as Heath Ledger, Bob Marley and Hunter Thompson for thousands of dollars through a London gallery.
A Friends and Heroes II four-piece set signed by Depp was available from Castle Fine Art for £17,500 ($21,000). Portraits were also offered independently at $5,400 each. However, all 780 prints were sold out.
Depp said of his love for art: “I’ve always used art to express my feelings and think about the people who mean the most to me, like my family, friends, and the people I choose. My images surround my life, but I keep them to myself and limit myself. No one should ever limit themselves.”
“Johnny’s debut collection of limited edition artwork reflects his focus on Friends and Heroes; people he knew well and who inspired him as a person. Each picture is a close-up of their personality in Johnny’s eyes; a picture of how they opened up to him,” the website’s description reads.
“Working through photographic references, each image became a simple and iconic representation of the subject, which Johnny then developed and enhanced with his own freehand flourishes.”
“Johnny’s art is at the crossroads of Pop Art and Street Art.” Popular images of people from popular culture are reworked in bright, vivid colors and layered with the energy and wit of Street Art. The result is a series of stunning images of media figures that transcend the individual graphic simplicity of pop art. It’s pop art full of emotion.”
