"It was described as 'the most disgusting exhibition ever'..."
It's surprising how many celebrities have won critical acclaim for their art.
Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood was one of the first. In 2003 his painting "Stones in Sepia," sold for $200,000 to an anonymous collector during a show at Masters Gallery in Denver.
At the time his spokesman said "this was not only a record sale for himself, but we are quite sure for the category of celebrity art,"
Until Bob Dylan came along... his works now sell for prices up to £500,000. He actually used one of his paintings for the front cover of his 1970 album Self Portrait.
Other more surprising names include Marilyn Monroe. Her most notable work is a watercolor of a red rose, inscribed to President John F. Kennedy for his birthday.
Sylvester Stallone is another; he's recognised internationally as a connoisseur of fine art. His paintings have sold for up to $50,000. Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn is a fan - having bought an abstract piece for $40k.
Stallone has said of his work:
"It's one thing when someone lays down six or seven dollars for a movie ticket. When they lay $30,000 to $40,000 [for a Stallone painting], it's an amazing validation… It's better than any feeling I've had in performance."
Of course when these guys started painting the art critics scoffed. But given the prices at auction now I can imagine who's having the last laugh.
The reason why their works are so popular?
It's simple...
They have a huge database of worldwide fans eager to buy their art.
We've had our eyes on the Celebrity Art market for a while.
We've been looking for the next accomplished celebrity artist.
And we think we've found him.
He's a man of obvious talent; unfortunately this is allied to what some would call a self-destructive streak.
The tabloid newspapers love him and hate him in equal measure.
Yet if you set that aside and analyse his achievements, it makes for pretty impressive reading.
At the age of 16 he won a poetry competition and embarked on a tour of Russia sponsored by the British Council.
In June 2006 he signed a deal with Orion Books to publish his journals, including poetry, drawings, and photos.
And in 2007 he became the face of designer Robert Cavalli's advertising campaign. In fact the 50's style photographs have even been compared to images of a young Marlon Brando.
But of course it's his art we're talking about...
His first art exhibition was at a private gallery in London, four years ago.
The exhibition sold out - 14 paintings and several prints sold for £500,000.
The paintings sold for up to £50,000 each.
Quite incredible as the exhibition was described as the "the most disgusting exhibition ever".
The exhibition made news headlines around the world.
In the UK the Daily Mail, The Guardian, the BBC... they all wrote about it.
In China, the China Daily newspaper had a feature article.
The exhibition also appeared in Hollywood Magazine in the USA.
One art critic said:
"His audience is very eclectic, ranging from smallest to the largest. He is unique in that he is an epiphenomenon, the embodiment of rock baby"
Now admittedly this isn't going to be to everyone's liking…
You see, what's unique about the art is that he uses his own blood to paint.
You can imagine, that alone limits his output. It's why these canvasses sell for up to £50,000 at London art galleries.
We've recently discovered a previously unknown work from this artist.
Like I've said before, this won't be everyone's cup of tea.
We're offering this painting at half the price of a London art gallery so if you are looking to invest in a unique piece of art, you owe it to yourself to have a look.
Click here for more details.
Regards
Adrian Roose
Paul Fraser Collectibles
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