MANY HOLLYWOOD STARS AND MUSIC-INDUSTRY LEADERS ARE
turning art collecting into an inspiring hobby and profitable investment. Famous faces are making regular appearances at Art Basel,
museum benefits and auctions. While personal tastes vary, these
art-collecting celebs have walls in their homes that would rival any gallery show.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO’S ART COLLECTION
Call DiCaprio “The Wolf of Wall Art.” This guy is a fixture on the
art-auction circuit. He may try to keep a low profile with a cap pulled low over his eyes, but it’s hard for him to hide once the bidding starts. One of DiCaprio’s first big art purchases was a Jean-Michel
Basquiat drawing. He told The Wall Street Journal, “I’ve continued to be a huge admirer of Basquiat.”
He has also purchased work by Andy Warhol, Picasso, Takashi
Murakami, Oscar Murillo, Walton Ford, Ed Ruscha and Mark Ryden. DiCaprio has even found ways to combine his philanthropic
work with art appreciation. In 2013, he held “The 11th Hour Sale” a
Christie’s charity auction to benefit some of his environmental causes. During the event, DiCaprio purchased a painting by his friend “Dustheads” by Jean Michel Basquiat;Brad Pitt; Jay-Z; Leonardo DiCaprio
Walton Ford for $250,000. At Sean Penn’s Haiti Rising Gala charity
auction in Beverly Hills, DiCaprio purchased a work by Ed Ruscha for $125,000.
Last year, DiCaprio made headlines for having to surrender a $3.2
million Picasso and a $9 million Basquiat to the U.S. government.
The works were connected to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad embezzlement scandal. Because the art in question were gifts,
DiCaprio was not charged with any crimes or implicated in any
wrongdoing. A statement from the actor about the pieces read, “Mr. DiCaprio is grateful for the support of the government in this effort and continues to hope that justice is done in this matter.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK
Haute
RESIDENCE