Keith Richards

Johnny Depp's friendship with Keith Richards began in the late 1990s over a mutual love for music, and resulted in one of the most iconic characters that the actor has ever played.  In Johnny's eyes, Keith is "the coolest rock n' roll star of all time" which fitted with his idea that pirates were the rock n' roll stars of the 18th century. As a result of their incredible friendship, Johnny adopted Keith's mannerisms to play Captain Jack Sparrow whose father was later played by Keith himself in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and On Stranger Tides, a testament to his support for the actor and his incredible portrayal.

This mesmerising limited edition artwork by Johnny captures Keith as a buccaneering hero through bright colours and bold lines. The delicate smoke blends into Keith's hair and frames his face, behind which lies a real sense of power whilst also conveying the gracious, sweet, and welcoming friend that Johnny intended to portray in his collection, Friends & Heroes.

Johnny’s debut collection Friends & Heroes sees him focus on people he has known well, and who have inspired him as a person. Each image is an intimate reflection of their character in Johnny's eyes; a portrayal of how they have revealed themselves to him. Working from photographic references, each image has been stripped back to a simpler and iconic portrayal of the subject, which Johnny has then developed and energised with his characteristic freehand flourishes. You can view the full portfolio of portraits here or learn more about the artist on our blog.

In addition to being hand-signed by the artist, this limited edition artwork is embossed with Johnny Depp's iconic Bunnyman logo. Bunnyman was inspired by Johnny’s son Jack who, when he was five years old, woke from an apparent nightmare featuring the character, but was comforted by his father’s explanation. His explanation described Bunnyman as a friendly warrior between the doorway of reality and imagination. Johnny later realised the iconic figure on a large canvas and it has since come to symbolise both him and his work. Bunnyman is now being registered as a global trademark and along with Johnny’s initials, it represents an additional guarantee of authenticity beyond his handwritten signature.

Photographic reference- Stephanie Pfriender Stylander.

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