In a world where iconic personas often blur the lines between self-expression and art, Boy George and Johnny Depp have taken their creative flair beyond the familiar stages and screens to find a new canvas—their own. Boy George, known for his kaleidoscopic style and unapologetic authenticity, paints with the same colorful boldness that defines his character, creating portraits that pulsate with life and drama. Depp, meanwhile, with his characteristic stoicism and fondness for the darker corners of celebrity, paints as he acts: with shadows, with mystery, with the unspoken. Now, Castle Fine Arts is bringing works by these two captivating figures to ArtMiami, where they will join an impressive lineup of artists and their originals and one-of-a-kind pieces. It’s a showcase not to be missed.
BY IZABELA CANNELLE
‘MADAME X’ 2024, BY BOY GEORGE FROM HIS DEBUT COLLECTION WITH CASTLE FINE ART
Madame X’ is an alluring unique portrait of the long-regarded ‘queen of pop’, Madonna, inspired by her 2019 studio album of the same title.
Boy George
For Boy George, creativity isn’t just a part of life—it’s the heartbeat of everything he does. His art isn’t confined to a canvas; it’s woven into every facet of his world, a vivid tapestry of punk, rebellion, and self-expression. Catapulted to fame at 22, George quickly took his place alongside the cultural mavericks of his generation—Warhol, Basquiat, Haring—who, like him, treated art as a fist shaken in the face of the status quo. And yet, Boy George’s origins were hardly the stu… of avant-garde galleries; expelled for his unapologetically flamboyant style, he found his salvation in art. “In a classroom of thirty, art was the one place where I could indulge my real self,” he notes, perhaps with a wry smile, as he recalls his early sketches of David Bowie, whose audacious aesthetics served as both guide and provocation. Decades later, George’s face has been immortalized by everyone from Annie Leibovitz to Rankin. But in his own work, he pivots the lens. Through his art, we see Boy George’s worldview—a kaleidoscope of wit, rebellion, and unvarnished human beauty. It’s an invitation to see, and perhaps even to dare, as he does: in living color.
Johnny Depp
“I’ve always needed to escape into a blank piece of paper,” Johnny Depp reflects, describing a lifelong creative impulse that began long before his celebrated career in film. For Depp, art is an essential, a lens through which he explores the world around him with a constant sketchbook in hand, bridging the visual with the poetic.
Through his partnership with Castle Fine Art, Depp has unveiled a series of collections that capture the figures and themes most influential to him. His Friends & Heroes series, featuring icons like Bob Dylan, Elizabeth Taylor, and River Phoenix, reflects a deeply personal approach, each portrait brimming with intimate details that preserve his subjects’ essence. His Tarot series delves into the mystical, exploring archetypal characters with a surrealist edge that speaks to his fascination with symbolism. Most recently, Bunnyman Genesis introduced Depp’s recurring motif, The Bunnyman, adding a playful, haunting signature to his work.
Known for his transformative roles, Depp’s intuitive eye brings a remarkable authenticity to his portraits, revealing the nuance and depth he’s known for on-screen. When his first Friends & Heroes series sold out in hours, Depp was moved: “I tried to capture the spark, the way I see them,” he says of his subjects.
Having kept his art private for years, Depp now welcomes the opportunity to share his visual world. To him, it’s an invitation to experience his view—raw, multi-layered, and deeply personal.
‘STRENGTH’ 2024, BY JOHNNY DEPP FROM HIS TAROT COLLECTION
“Why do you want to fight with something that doesn’t want to fight with you?” is the contemplative message etched into the surface of ‘Strength’, as if spoken by the majestic grey elephant that gazes directly at the viewer. The text juxtaposed with the traditional symbol of strength invites a deeper reflection of how we use our power.
