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What does anyone think of this talented young man's art, then?






Meet Sylvester Stallone, the artist. He is not alone...

What is more surprising: that Sylvester Stallone had his first exhibition at a Beverly Hills art gallery in January or that someone was willing to pay $15.000 for his portrait of Marilyn Monroe? The fact that the exhibition was rumoured to make nearly $1 million says as much about the perceived value of celebrity artwork as it does about the celebrities themselves. Stallone is already very rich and successful movie star, but obviously feels a need to satisfy a creative hunger. At a recent exhibition in New York, several prints were auctioned to the public to raise money for charity. The artists included James Dean, Charles Bronson and David Bowie. At $ 1,300, Dean´s print raised the most money. Bowie´s at $ 500, the least. No one was allowed to photograph Dean´s work; Bowie appeared in various magazines, standing in front of what he refers to as his 'expressionist' paintings with a grin on his face. The exhibition in question was called 'Twice Gifted', a reference to celebrity artists who are more famous for work in other areas. But how gifted are these personalities and to what extent do they take advantage of the fame they already have? A host of pop stars attended art school before breaking in music, from Bowie, Ron Wood and Syd Barrettto Frazier Chorus, Talking Heads and Marc Almond, but not all of them exploited or are exploiting their fame to draw attention to their artwork. Stone Roses fans treasure the band´s Jackson Pollock-style record covers, but guitarist / sleeve designer John Squire denies being an artist. Time Out art critic Sarah Kent and Art Line editor Mike von Joel have cast a critical eye over the artwork, not always guessing the artist´s identity and not pausing to consider their celebrity status before drawing conclusions. Judging by their comments, it´s obvious that some celebrities shouldn´t give up their day jobs just yet.