What paintings do celebrities buy and how much are they willing to pay for a work of art they like?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Many people prefer to invest in a variety of areas of life, but there are others, those who want to acquire beautiful, interesting and unusual things. For example, celebrities willingly become collectors, collecting not only paintings, but also rare photographs and much more, for which they are ready to give a tidy sum. What is in the collections of popular and famous Hollywood celebrities?

1. Leonardo DiCaprio

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who has been seen several times in Art Basel Miami Beach, regularly attends contemporary art fairs and auction houses. In 2013, he even organized a charity sale at Christie's called The Eleventh Hour. All proceeds from the sale were donated to his environmental fund.

Leo also parted ways with one of his works: Ocean V, a satellite image of Earth by artist Andreas Gursky. Today, he is said to have in his personal collection works by Oscar Murillo, Salvador Dali and Takashi Murakami, from whom he managed to buy an unfinished painting for as much as seven hundred thousand dollars. Painfully he liked it that Leonardo without hesitation laid out a decent amount in order to acquire an unfinished masterpiece in the neo-pop art style.

2. Sofia Coppola

Oscar-winning director Sofia Coppola is known to buy art from a wide variety of sources, which in turn speaks volumes about the size and variety of her impressive collection. Sofia's main favorites are the artists Elizabeth Peyton and Larry Sultan. As the legend of cinema says, she draws inspiration from the works of these artists to create the atmosphere in her films, painting them with dark, but at the same time very epic tones.

This picture is an example of the work of Elizabeth Peyton.

In 2010, Sofia acquired several unusual works by the enigmatic artist Anne-Laure Sacriste. She recently bought a photograph of American fashion photographer Bob Richardson of a model standing on the beach with a tear in her eyes.

3. Brad Pitt

In 2009, Brad bought a painting by Neo Rauch for one million dollars and has since become a true art collector. It is believed that his entire collection is worth at least twenty-five million dollars. From Banksy to Ed Rusch to Richard Serra, Mr. Pitt is willing to shell out any amount for his favorite work. He is also a big fan of Art Deco furniture. In 2012, the Hollywood sex symbol partnered with luxury furniture designer Frank Pollaro to create a dozen limited edition pieces.

Art Deco, Street Art, American Minimalism: Brad is not limited to one genre when it comes to buying a work.

4. Jay-Z and Beyoncé

Musical couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé have a collection of contemporary art that reflects their place in the global music industry in a monumental way. Be it the works of Andy Warhol, Richard Prince, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso and Tim Noble among others, Sean never ceases to express his love for contemporary art, buying up all the paintings he likes and more, while spending impressive sums on his acquisitions. While his wife in every possible way supports young and little-known artists, saying that she sees them as promising people who show great promise.

These works are presented as an example.

5. Madonna

Madonna has an impressive art collection worth over one hundred million dollars, which includes many famous names. For example, her first purchase was a work by Fernand Léger called "Les Deux Bicyclettes", for which the pop diva paid a tidy sum of one million dollars.

However, she has since acquired other notable works, ranging from Picasso's nearly $ 5 million Bust of a Woman to other works by Fernand Léger. In particular, Madonna is famous for her love for Frida Kahlo, who was known not only for her self-portraits, but also for her ambiguous views of the world.

6. Elton John

In addition to music, Elton John is also involved in other forms of art. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that he has a more than respectable art collection to support his own interest and passions. In particular, his art collection is known for an abundance of photographs that are dedicated not only to portraits, but also to celebrities and fashion. For example, in 1993 he set a record by buying Man Ray's Glass Tears for nearly two hundred thousand dollars, now valued at about two million dollars. And from a purely financial point of view, this is a very impressive estimate in such a short period of time since the moment the picture was taken in 1932.

7. Tom Ford

Tom Ford is a renowned designer and filmmaker. However, he is also an art collector, buying up all those works that arouse his genuine keen interest. For example, he recently bought several pieces of art from Los Angeles-based artists, including the abstract artist Mark Bradford and the sculptor Aaron Curry. These acquisitions complement his already impressive art collection, which includes works by renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly and Sam Taylor Wood.

This painting serves as an example of the artist's work.

8. David and Victoria Beckham

David and Victoria Beckham have a collection of art that some sources claim is worth about forty million dollars. Unlike most of the other art collectors on this list, they are known to have very strict selection criteria, the main theme of which is nothing more than love. So it comes as no surprise that Victoria bought Tracey Emin's For You, a neon heart-shaped piece while she was browsing the White Cube Gallery in London as a gift for David.

This painting was bought by David and Victoria Beckham for their daughter for almost a million dollars.

9. Lady Gaga

Unsurprisingly, Lady Gaga takes a noticeable interest in contemporary art, as evidenced by the fact that she owns works by Lee Bowery and Francesco Vezzoli, along with other famous names. In addition, she enjoys combining her love of art with philanthropic endeavors. For example, she supports a group of artists in the Hamptons that focus on traditional art forms as well as more avant-garde art such as body painting and performance art.

10. Kanye West

Considering Kanye West's upbringing and education, it is not surprising that he takes a keen interest not only in music, but also in other forms of art. In fact, before he dropped out of college to focus on music, he studied painting. After his success in the musical field, Kanye began not only to collect the works of contemporary artists, referring to them in his albums, but also collaborated with them on a surprisingly wide range of creative projects. Therefore, the musician never skimps to acquire this or that work, giving fabulous sums for some of them.

While some celebrities spend fabulous sums on all sorts of nonsense and scandal with nosy paparazzi, others for many years remain idols not only of modern youth, but also of rising stars who, in one way or another, try to imitate those who have been on the musical Olympus for more than a dozen years. However, the king of the pop scene continues to inspire.