A British retail art group has exhibited a self-portrait created by the famous Hollywood star Johnny Depp while he was engaged in a legal battle related to his previous marriage to actress Amber Heard.
The artwork, titled "Five," began in 2021 at the studio of British artist Ralph Steadman and was completed this year. Depp stated in a video, "This self-portrait was painted at a time that was … let’s say a bit dark, a bit confusing." He added, "I looked at it and I don’t know why, I thought it needed something else. It needed further … information. I just wrote five on it because I was about to enter the fifth year of madness."
Depp mentioned that the "Five" painting was inspired by a photo taken of him in 2015 when he became a promotional face for a men's fragrance by Dior. He remarked, "All the while, as painful as it was, Dior stuck to their belief, and that was incredible."
The painting joins Depp's series "Friends and Heroes," which features other celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Al Pacino, Bob Dylan, and Keith Richards, and is being sold through Castle Fine Art, a British gallery for retail art sales.
A copy of the self-portrait can be purchased for $1,950 in a limited-time release, available for only 13 days. Depp announced that $200 from each sale will be donated to the nonprofit organization "Mental Health America," which focuses on mental health.
Depp met Heard on the set of a film and they married in 2015. The actress filed for divorce after slightly more than a year. Their tumultuous relationship came to light through two trials. Last year, an American jury awarded Depp a near-total victory in the defamation battle against his ex-wife, who accused him of abusing her. Depp denied hitting Heard or any other woman.
