Art

MADONNA PROUDLY SUPPORTS HER ARTIST SON ROCCO

Her fans outside went crazy when Madonna, with freshly plumped lips, walked out of her hotel in Paris today carrying a giant teddy bear. Yesterday she dressed in leather and fishnets to attend her son Rocco Ritchie’s art exhibition there. She’s in the habit of turning his shows into high profile events with loads of paparazzi and publicity. It’s hard to imagine, but with some help from his famous mother, Rocco’s art has been selling for from $12,000 to $58,000.

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ROCCO RITCHIE: LOSE THE MUSTACHE!

Turns out Madonna’s 22 year old son Rocco Ritchie is not the loser some people predicted he would turn out to be. We’ve long had a soft spot for him due to his preference for vintage clothing. He shops at thrift stores and flea markets and looks adorable in his mid-century attire (We could actually live without that mustache, however) For the past few years Rocco has been studying and producing art and he’s quite successful, using the name “Rhed.” London art dealers like his work and his paintings sell for around $25,000! Rocco’s father Guy Ritchie has a scene in his new movie called Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre featuring actors admiring and discussing “Rhed’s” paintings.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA Rocco in NYC visiting ill mom

ROCCO RITCHIE AND LOURDES LEON HAVE A LOT IN COMMON

Nice to see Madonna’s kids hanging out together. Madonna’s oldest daughter Lourdes Leon was hired to model in the Marine Serre show during Fashion Week in Paris and her half-brother Rocco Ritchie, 21, popped over from the UK to catch the show. Lourdes and Rocco both lived with their mother in New York until a few years ago. Rocco was on his mother’s Rebel Heart Tour when he was 16 and he abruptly quit the tour and moved in with his father, director Guy Ritchie in London. This caused a family rift which has since settled, and Rocco is living with Guy’s family and studying art in the UK. He’s even had a few art shows and sold paintings under the fake name of Rhed. Which makes sense because he’s always had a killer sense of style.

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BANKSY EXHIBITION IS BRIGHTENING UP MUNICH

Okay, we admit to being a maniacally devoted Banksy fan, so we were delighted to hear about his “Unauthorized Exhibition” called The Mystery of Banksy- A Genius Mind, in Munich, Germany. Over a hundred culturally significant items are on display- graffiti, photos, sculptures, video installations, and prints. Some of the artist’s philosophy is also included, such as his mantra “Remember, it’s always easier to get forgiveness than permission.” Banksy, the King of Street Art, has become one of the most expensive artists of our time, so we imagine security there is at an all-time high. Celebrities love Banksy – Brad Pitt has invested millions in his art.

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BANKSY ART SCRUBBED OFF OF LONDON SUBWAY TRAIN

Little did the people in charge of sanitizing the interior of London subways realize that they washed away some valuable and heartfelt Banksy art. The art piece was titled If You Don’t Mask, You Don’t Get, and by the time Banksy unveiled the art on his Instagram account, it had already been scrubbed off by cleaning crews. It was treated like any other subway graffiti, but it DID illustrate that the cleaners did a thorough job. The transport company invited Banksy to do a new version of his message “in a suitable location.” Of course, the whole thing could have been another Banksy prank, and he KNEW this would happen…

YOU CAN OWN A PAINTING BY SYLVESTER STALLONE

Sylvester Stallone launched a big promotion on Instagram to sell his art for father’s Day. He’s been painting and selling his autographed artwork for decades. Back in the early 90’s he invited us to visit him at his art studio. It was a warehousey-looking place with big canvases all around the room and buckets of paint on the floor. This was at the height of his popularity, and he was thrilled that so many people wanted to buy his paintings. It looked to us like he rather haphazardly slapped paint all over the canvases and he couldn’t believe that people paid “thousands of dollars” for them. (We couldn’t believe it either!) He’s still producing art – now it ranges from $50 for prints to $165,000 for a huge painting. Wonder if these would sell without his autograph…

MAD GUITARIST STEVE STEVENS IS MORE THAN A MUSICIAN

Clusters of rockers from the 80’s and beyond showed up at the Ken Paves salon last night for a pop-up art show by Billy Morrison and Steve Stevens. Both artists gained fame as musicians touring with Billy Idol, who was also there. Steve Stevens and his voluptuous wife Josie (you remember her from the reality show Married to Rock in 2010) dressed up for the occasion and yes, they sold some art.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA
MUSICIANS OR ARTISTS?

BANKSY STRIKES AGAIN!

We have to confess we have a soft spot for the UK artist Banksy and his whimsical social commentary. His stenciled public art appears out of nowhere to promote his views and is immediately worth a fortune. Last week the Extinction Rebellion group (Emma Thompson is a supporter) protested the government’s lack of involvement in climate change because they “seek to minimize the risk of ecological collapse.” (Needless to say, they are not fond of our fossil fuel loving president.) After the closing ceremony this artwork appeared on a nearby wall. Art experts say it’s genuine and worth over a million dollars. Local council members rushed to protect it with a clear cover because it already suffered some defacement – the red and blue writing and the yellow leaflet.

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HARVEY WEINSTEIN WILL BE AT THE OSCARS

Just in time for the Oscars, the anonymous street artist Plastic Jesus has plunked down this statue of Harvey Weinstein not far from the Dolby theater where the Oscars are held. The London–born artist is referred to as “The Banksy of LA” for his politically and culturally provocative art. This Weinstein creation features Harvey in his signature seduction bathrobe, as he lounges on the casting couch, holding an Oscar on his lap. It should attract quite a lot of attention as a photo op.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA