Johnny Depp has experienced some monumental hurdles over the years – and he is now ready to share a deeply personal insight into his well-being during one particularly "dark" period.
The 60-year-old has unveiled his debut self-portrait, titled 'Five', which he began painting in 2021 as he entered the fifth year of a challenging period in his life. The self-portrait will be sold as a time-limited edition on July 20 and will be on sale for 13 days only (a number significant to Johnny) priced from $1,950/£1,950.
"This self-portrait. It was created at the time that was, let's say, a bit dark, bit confusing," he said in a behind-the-scenes video for Castle Galleries, which you can watch below.
While he didn't specify what the difficult period was, five years before he started the painting was 2016, the year his ex-wife, Amber Heard, filed for divorce. In the years that followed, Johnny sued Amber for defamation following a Washington Post op-ed – in which she claimed she was "representing domestic abuse" – with the headline-grabbing trial taking place in 2022.
© Elliot NymanJohnny initially conceived 'Five' in the studio of his close friend Ralph Steadman, immersing himself in creating the work as a means of creative healing. In 2023, he revisited 'Five', where he reflected on the original composition and made additional embellishments.
Having previously kept the artwork private, Johnny is now ready to share it with the world. On overcoming his initial reluctance to release the painting, Johnny explained: "It's not the most comfortable thing doing a self-portrait. Although almost everything you do is a self-portrait in one way or another."
© Elliot NymanThe reference artwork inspiring 'Five' pays homage to a photograph taken for Christian Dior Parfums in 2015. The photograph was used to announce Johnny as the face of Dior Sauvage in a shoot led by French creative director Jean-Baptiste Mondino. Johnny chose this particular image in honor of Dior and the loyalty they've always shown him.
"He's got a great eye," the actor said of Mondino. "The great thing about shooting with Jean-Baptiste Mondino is he will never look at any of his photographs or any of his work where the subject's eyes aren't somewhere else, or you see something behind the eyes, and Mondino is kind of a master of that kind of thing."
© Elliot NymanAccording to a press release, "a self-portrait acts as a mirror and a window to give thought to our own mental health and the health of those around us." Johnny hopes the piece may inspire others, stating: "If the piece resonates with even just one person, this art has purpose."
As a result, 'Five' offers a uniquely personal insight into Johnny's innermost feelings and emotions. The piece is deliberately intimate, expressing the subject's character and emotional state at the time.
© Elliot NymanFor every print sold, $200 will go directly to Mental Health America, a leading community-based non-profit charity dedicated to the promotion of mental health, well-being, and illness prevention, and an organization that Johnny described as "a wonderful facility and an extremely deserving cause; they do a lot of great work there".
Johnny Depp, 'Five', a deeply personal self-portrait, 2023, is on sale from Thursday, July 20 to Tuesday, August 1 exclusively from Castle Fine Art nationwide UK galleries and worldwide.
