Johnny Depp's emotional journey captured in self-portrait 'Five' now available for sale
Johnny Depp is selling his self-portrait titled 'Five' for a limited time only.
Following his debut painting collection, ‘Friends & Heroes,’ which he sold for over $3.6 million (P196 million) in 2022, the Hollywood actor has created yet another artwork to be sold.
The piece was created by Johnny during the five-year legal battle with his former wife Amber Heard. He started painting the piece in 2021 and finished it earlier this year in British illustrator Ralph Steadman's workshop.
Despite the legal challenges and public scrutiny, he found solace in art, using 'Five' as a medium to process and convey his emotions.
“This self-portrait... it was created at a time that was let’s say a bit dark, a bit confusing. I looked at it and I don’t know why, I thought it needed something else. It needed further information,” Johnny said in a video made to advertise the sale.
The portrait is based on an illustration from the Dior Sauvage advertisement. Johnny allegedly chose this particular image in honor of Dior to illustrate "the loyalty they’ve always shown him."
According to the gallery's website, the image "represents the value of truth and the unwavering support of those who remain close to you during trying times."
The portrait has a starting price of £1,950 (P137,224) and will only be available for purchase for 13 days.
The managing director of Castle Fine Art, Ian Weatherby-Blythewhich, who is handling the auction of the piece said, “I think this is the most personal piece he's ever done.”
“He revisited the eyes over and over and over again. And when you look at the piece, you know, it's a beautiful portrait. But when you look at the eyes there's something very meaningful behind the eyes, there's something, you know, quite sad,” Ian said.
Johnny and Amber's relationship came to public attention in May 2016 when the latter filed for divorce, accompanied by a temporary restraining order against the Pirates of the Caribbean star.
In April 2022, Johnny initiated a libel trial against Amber, seeking to counter her characterization of herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse" in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed.
The legal proceedings took a toll on both parties, with a Virginia jury ruling that Amber had defamed Johnny on three counts, awarding him $15 million (P822 million) in damages. In a counter-charge, Johnny was found guilty of one charge of libel, and Amber was awarded $2 million (P109.6 million). They settled for the actress to pay her ex-husband $1 million (over P55 million) over claims he physically abused her.