The really big-time celebrities are people with money to burn. In this case, we are talking about the likes of A-list Hollywood megastars.
They can afford the very best and often develop a taste for the finer things in life, such as art. You would be surprised at the number of celebrities who qualify as serious art collectors.
So how do they know what to purchase? Well they have experts who can advise them, as well as drawing on their own tastes. These celebrities have a vocational passion for art, so they are not without knowledge.
In this article we are going to look at some of the celebrities who are also art lovers and collectors. We will outline what they have bought and its value.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt is one of the brightest stars in the Hollywood firmament. He has been at the top since the 1990s, so he is now a very rich man indeed.
That is thanks to such hit movies as Seven, Fight Club and Ocean’s Eleven. This last film became a genuine cultural phenomenon and helped to make casino gaming popular again.
Even twenty years on from its release, there are still lots of people looking for casinos with the fastest payouts online. It was part of a lasting shift in favor of real-money gaming.
Pitt was paid a fortune for these roles and he invested much of it into his art collection. One piece that he bought was the abstract ‘No.6 (Blue, Green and Orange)’ by Mark Rothko.
Rothko’s oddly soothing explorations of color have a big following and Pitt bought this one for a cool $72.8 million in an auction. He also owns paintings by Picasso, Bacon and Damien Hirst.
Pitt is clearly highly regarded within the art world, as he was able to persuade the reclusive artist Banksy to create a piece specifically for him. It reportedly depicts the actor alongside his then partner Angelina Jolie.
Jay-Z
The rapper and businessman Jay-Z is another celebrity with a lot of money and an interest in art. He has been known to bid on coveted items at the exclusive auction house Sotheby’s.
One piece that he was successful in landing is the painting ‘Mecca’ by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Back in 2013, he paid more than $4 million to make this painting his own.
The piece depicts part of the skyline of Manhattan, with lit up skyscrapers and a sign reading ‘Empire’. The striking color scheme is black, white and orange.
It is just one of the many artworks that make up Jay-Z’s impressive collection though. He is also thought to possess works by notable artists like Laurie Simmons, Richard Prince and Andy Warhol.
He has a passion for contemporary art in particular and the total value of his collection is tens of millions.
Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio is another Hollywood star with a glittering career. He won an Academy Award for The Revenant, while his other key roles include Titanic, Twelve Years a Slave and The Wolf of Wall Street.
While he may be better known for his climate activism, DiCaprio is also an avid art collector. He has acquired items by Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol and Picasso, among others.
Sometimes he even manages to combine his twin non-acting passions. A decade ago he put together an auction at Christie’s called ‘The 11th Hour Sale’. This saw works of art auctioned off, with all proceeds being donated to various environmental charities.
DiCaprio put his money where his mouth is too; buying a painting for $200,000 that was created by Walton Ford.
Elton John
Elton John has been a musical superstar since the early 1970s. The British singer/songwriter has sold millions of records, amassing a vast personal fortune in the process.
That has allowed him to explore his interest in art. Elton appears to prefer works by very famous artists, owning pieces by Warhol, Bacon, Picasso and Hirst.
Again, it indicates a preference for the contemporary too. If these choices are viewed purely as an investment, they are smart ones. Works by artists of this caliber do not fall out of favor and are guaranteed to retain their value – or indeed grow in value.
Elton does not seem to regard them in that way though. Like the other celebrities featured on this list, he is a genuine admirer of the pieces he buys.
He is a particular fan of photography and owns more than 4000 art photographs. Among them is the mysterious and disturbing image ‘Tears’ by Man Ray, which depicts teardrops made of glass beads on the face of a female model.
This leaves the viewer to guess what has caused the emotional distress.
These celebrities prove that pop culture can mingle comfortably with high culture at times.