As Johnny Depp's judicial dispute with Amber Heard is still ongoing with appeals made against the previous judgement, the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor has made close to £3 million ($3.6 million) in a short amount of time by selling paintings and photographs he made himself, depicting his friends and heroes.
The 59-year-old actor's debut collection of paintings and their prints and photographs, depicted a variety of famous people, including Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor, folk legend Bob Dylan, and Rolling Stone Keith Richards.
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Castle Fine Art in London's Covent Garden, that curated the sale of his paintings, posted a brief description on its website that stated: Johnny Depp's collection Friends & Heroes saw him focus on people he has known well, and who have inspired him as a person. Each image is an intimate reflection of their character in Johnny's eyes; a portrayal of how they have revealed themselves to him. From his dear friend Keith Richards, who inspired the mannerisms of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, to Bob Dylan, whose creative influence on the artist is seen in his vivid and immortal portrayal by Johnny.
After Depp revealed on Instagram that he was selling his artwork through the Castle Fine Art gallery, fans flocked to buy the pieces. All 780 pieces were sold on Thursday, July 28 itself, with framed individual prints selling for £3,950 and the entire collection of four pictures fetching £14,950.
The site for the gallery broke as a result of Depp's Instagram post, which had the sole caption NOW AT #CASTLEFINEART.
On the website, he said, “I’ve always used art to express my feelings and to reflect on those who matter most to me, like my family, friends, and people I admire. My paintings surround my life, but I kept them to myself and limited myself. No one should ever limit themselves.”
'The Pirates of the Caribbean star' was described as a genuine creator, with an incredible sense of detail and subtlety, by Washington Green Publishers' Glyn Washington. This exhibition follows the resolution of Depp's well-known legal battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard. A jury awarded Depp $10.35 million (£8.2 million) in damages after determining that an essay Heard wrote for the Washington Post in 2018 about her struggles as a victim of domestic violence was malicious.
Heard successfully argued that Depp's publicity representative defamed her by saying that her charges were an abuse fabrication intended to capitalize on the #MeToo movement. Amber won on this point of her countersuit. Depp has appealed the jury's decision to reverse the $2 million (£1.5 million) damages judgment made to the plaintiff. In an interview with Gayle King on CBS on Thursday, Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez said they definitely have a strategy in place to counter her appeal.
Mr Depp ended up filing his own appeal so that the court could have the full record. And she insists on continuing to litigate this matter. We have to protect our client’s interest. We are just hopeful that the court will uphold the verdict, which we think was the right verdict, and allow both parties to move on, she added.
On Thursday, Heard's legal team submitted paperwork to the Fairfax County court to appeal the judgment. Heard’s spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment. Depp recently made an appearance on stage alongside 78-year-old rock legend Jeff Beck. Additionally, the two just put out an album together under the name 18, which debuted in the UK's top 40.