Christie Brinkley Is a Painter! 14 Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Visual Artists, Too
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Many celebs have artistic talents beyond what they're best known for. Some actors are singers, for instance; some supermodels are writers. Here, we take a look at stars who are visual artists. Spoiler alert: There are a lot of painters in Hollywood!
Celebs You Didn't Know Were Visual Artists
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Sylvester Stallone is best known for throwing punches in Rocky, but he's also put his hands to good use as an accomplished painter, having spent more than half his life honing the craft.
In a March 2023 Instagram post, the Oscar-winning multi-hyphenate said alongside a photo of his work that he was about to get back into the art studio. "What is wonderful about painting it’s similar to writing a short screenplay, but instead of words, you use strokes and colors to tell your story," he said.
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Singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell has been gracing us with her unparalleled musical talents for decades, but hardcore fans know that she's also a fairly prolific painter, with her website displaying an astonishing 320 pieces of her visual art, including portrait of James Taylor.
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Jim Carrey has been painting and sculpting since childhood, and his works of art are displayed in multiple galleries to this day. He describes his process thusly: “When I sculpt and paint is when I feel the most present and in harmony with the environment; as if all time has been suspended, all gravity disappears.”
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Lucy Liu has been painting since she was 15. She had her first solo art exhibition in 1993, prior to becoming a household name, at Cast Iron Gallery in Manhattan, and her work on canvas continues to this day. Her most recent exhibition was 2023’s "what was" at New York Studio School in New York.
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If you follow comedic actor/writer/director Seth Rogen on social media, you’ve probably seen proud displays of his homemade pottery turn up on your feed. Rogen has been experimenting with ceramics for years now. In 2019, he launched the company Houseplant with frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg. Among other things, the brand—which “makes nice things for people who love weed"—sells ashtrays and vases.
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It’s probably news to many that King Charles III is actually one of the most successful artists currently living in the United Kingdom. Of course, the Royal was able to learn from the best, beginning his painting endeavors during his education at the Gordonstoun School in Scotland in the 1970s. His watercolor works were first exhibited in 1977 at Windsor Castle.
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Singer/songwriter Halsey frequently creates paintings while onstage performing her music. She even auctioned several of her pieces off in 2022 to benefit the National Network of Abortions.
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Christie Brinkley was studying art in Paris in 1973 when she was first discovered by photographer Errol Sawyer. Although she went on to become a legendary supermodel, she never lost her love of painting and has shown off her talent as an artist through the years. Fun fact: She painted the 1993 cover art for then-husband Billy Joel’s hit record River of Dreams.
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Pierce Brosnan is famous for playing a secret agent—and it turns out he's been hiding a secret talent, too. The actor, who donned a suit and pistol as James Bond in the ‘90s and early aughts, has been painting for decades. He had his first solo show in May 2023.
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John Mellancamp has been entertaining fans since the '80s with hits like “Jack & Diane” and “Small Town," but he’s also been indulging his love of painting, inspired by portraiture artists Otto Dix and Max Beckmann. He even has his own fine-art gallery located in Bloomington, Indiana.
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Gugu Mbatha-Raw received an easel and set of paints as a gift from Concussion co-star Will Smith back in 2016, but it would take a worldwide pandemic to make her pick up the skill in earnest in 2020. She's since found comfort and catharsis in painting portraits of her co-stars and friends, in addition to odes to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Chadwick Boseman and Desmond Tutu.
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Basic Instinct actress Sharon Stone started painting as a little girl, but she put her practice largely to the side when her acting career took off in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, and didn't pick it back up until the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2023, she had her debut show, Shedding, which refers largely to the loss she's experienced of late, including the passing of her 11-month-old nephew in 2021 and the death of her brother (her late nephew's father) in early 2023.
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Viggo Mortenson played an artist in 1998’s A Perfect Murder, and the pieces featured in the film were actually works done by the actor himself. Painting isn’t Mortenson’s only hidden talent—he has a love for poetry, photography and music as well. We love a Renaissance Man!
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Paul McCartney may be one of the most legendary musicians and songwriters of all time, largely due to his time with The Beatles. However, many fans may be surprised to learn that for the better part of the last two decades, he’s been quite the prolific painter, too. With dozens of works of art to his name, McCartney has described his time creating on canvas as a respite from the world around him.
