Brad Pitt has made his debut as a sculptor, in a group show at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Tampere, Finland. But what inspired him to start making art?
ADVERTISEMENTCelebrity art-making seems to be a growing trend these days.
Whether it's Bob Dylan's ironwork sculptures or Grime rapper Skepta's recent painting sale at Sotheby's, the art market is increasingly opening up its arms to the world of showbiz.
Hollywood movie star Brad Pitt is the latest in line to make his mark in a field he's never been associated with.
The A-list actor has publicly debuted his first works of art at the Sara Hilden Art Museum in Finland, alongside a variety of works by British artist Thomas Houseago, as well as Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave.
The Sara Hilden Art Museum was initially scheduled to exhibit solely the wide variety of works by Houseago - known for his sculptures - but he reportedly persuaded the museum to include works by his friends Pitt and Cave.
“Cave and Pitt are already renowned in their respective fields of music and cinema, but this is the first time ever they have exhibited their artwork - pieces which were created during the course of an ongoing dialogue with Houseago,” the Finnish museum said.
What is on display at the exhibition?
Among the nine works on show by the 58-year-old Pitt is a house-shaped structure molded in clear silicon and shot with bullets and a plaster panel depicting a shooting scene.
Pitt reportedly began making ceramic art following his divorce from Angelina Jolie in 2017.
“To me it’s all about self-reflection. It’s about, you know, where have I gone wrong in my relationships? Where have I missed up?” Pitt told the Finnish public broadcaster YLE.
“It was borne out of ownership really what I call a radical inventory of self, getting really gruelly honest with me and ... taking account those I may have hurt and moments I've just gotten wrong,” the American Oscar-winning actor and film producer said.
Another one of Pitt's largest sculptures titled, "Aiming At You I Saw Me But It Was Too Late This Time," depicts a striking gun fight between eight figures.
Art critic Jonathan Jones describes this piece as "expressively conveying the way violence literally destroys the self."
You can see see more of Brad Pitt's sculpture in this tweet below:
From Cave, known for his dark baritone voice as the front man for his band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the exhibition features a series of ceramic figurines that depict the life of the devil.
He designed, painted and glazed the 17 figures between 2020 and this year.
“I wanted to do devil because I like red. And I like the color red glaze,” Cave told YLE. "Eventually I decided to make the life story of the devil. For me personally, it speaks into something about the idea of forgiveness or the need to be forgiven. It’a very personal work for me.”
The exhibition opened Sunday 18 September and runs until 15 January 2023.
