Johnny Depp reveals a collection of four tarot-inspired artworks referencing the ancient card deck
The artworks will go on sale from 2pm BST/9am EDT 18 July 2024, exclusively at www.castlefineart.com and their nationwide UK galleries
The collection draws upon Depp’s previous artwork, acting, and deeply personal experiences in a uniquely symbolic style
The four artworks, ‘The Lovers’, ‘The Emperor’, ‘The Empress’ and ‘Strength’ can be appreciated individually or as a set
Hear Johnny Depp discuss the story behind Tarot: https://youtu.be/sMaSRqazS1o
LONDON, July 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Johnny Depp, the acclaimed actor, musician, and artist, reveals his new art collection, Tarot, a series limited to 195 editions, exclusively available from Castle Fine Art today.
Tarot includes four distinct works: ‘The Lovers’, ‘The Empress’, ‘The Emperor’, and ‘Strength’. These captivating figures are inspired by Depp’s life, dreams, and subconscious mind and are portrayed in a unique symbolic style.
© Johnny Depp, Tarot, ‘The Lovers’, ‘The Emperor’, ‘The Empress’ and ‘Strength’ & 2024. Image courtesy of Castle Fine Art.
This latest release follows Depp’s four acclaimed collections. In 2022, Depp’s debut worldwide release Friends & Heroes I sold out in a matter of hours, Friends & Heroes II and Five (2023) followed with the same iconic photographic references. Last year, Depp started a new artistic direction journey with The Bunnyman Genesis. An insight into powerful self-expression, the series explored a night-time vision of a benevolent creature, an inseparable friend and powerful self-representation of Depp.
The new collection draws inspiration from the intriguing iconography of tarot. ‘The Emperor’ and ‘The Empress’ are both major arcana cards in traditional decks and are depicted as crowned rulers in the artist’s interpretation. Similarly, ‘The Lovers’, typically depicted nude, are dressed in elegant formal wear. Another unique interpretation is seen in ‘Strength’, where the traditional lion is replaced with an elephant, chosen for its symbolic qualities by the artist.
A lover of the supernatural, Depp has long incorporated tarot into his life. Depp has assimilated the age-old iconography for this new series, taking the storied imagery of the cards as his muse. As he’s reflected, “I’ve always been tremendously curious about tarot… and there’s a great art to the cards”. Across the artworks, he conjures themes of parenthood, love, relationships, and career.
Depp joins a tradition of artists who have played with tarot, including Salvador Dalí, who spent a decade crafting his dreamlike pack, and Mexican painter Leonora Carrington, who populated her cards with mythological creatures. Depp’s four cards rework traditional designs and themes, merging the artist’s passion for symbolism, spirituality and storytelling.
‘The Lovers’ is “the beginning of the story” and conjures depictions of kindred spirits, with fluid colours reflecting a balance between masculine and feminine, conscious and subconscious. The cinematic scene, which evokes Hollywood glamour, allows for numerous readings. Depp himself has said that the male figure who holds the rose is warding off danger and “protecting” the female. The work evokes an equilibrium beyond purely romantic love. Swept into the hazy composition are themes of harmony, choice and commitment.
Although an eyeless and mysterious figure, ‘The Emperor’ is authoritative and powerful but “not necessarily to be trusted”. The character, styled as a 17th-century French Monarch, was inspired by a work Depp created while filming Jeanne du Barry in Versailles. A metaphor for acting out roles, Depp says of ‘The Emperor’, “He’s not really there.”, and seems to stand for the many guises that we all wear. ‘The Emperor’ invites you to look beneath the cloak of power and authority for the true sources of strength. Depp says “it kind of represents ignorant power. I certainly wouldn’t dare put my own face as an emperor. Never. I made ‘The Emperor’ somewhat faceless because if you put the Emperor next to the Empress who do you trust?… The Empress”
‘The Empress’ pays tribute to Vanessa Paradis, the mother of Depp’s two children, and takes inspiration from a painting he did that was used for the cover of Paradis’ studio album ‘Divinidylle’. Of the tarnished crown adorned by ‘The Empress’, Depp says, “It looks like a crown that has weathered storms. It shows a certain courage and strength of commitment…. the Crown has been through a lot; she still shines.” Through this artwork, Depp has paid tribute to Paradis, with whom he has remained “very close”. Seated in a stoic pose, she appears as the artist has described her, “I know who she is inside. She’s magnificent. She’s pragmatic. She’s practical.”
‘Strength’ is inspired by a large-scale painting Depp created when expecting the birth of his first child with Vanessa Paradis. The philosophical question “Why do you want to fight with something that doesn’t want to fight with you?” is etched into the surface as if spoken by the majestic elephant that gazes at the viewer. The elephant is important to Depp, who says, “They don’t live with any sort of menace in their bone and protective their own to the bitter end.” The maternal instincts Depp saw in Paradis made him explore ideas of inner strength when painting the original elephant, stating that “a veil was lifted” when he became a parent for the first time.
Depp hopes collectors will form their own meanings and interpretations from the artworks, which can be read individually or as a set of four. He says the artworks could “represent in a way, a reading for me that I lived but also activating all the characters that I’ve played throughout my life.”
Ian Weatherby-Blythe, Managing Director of Castle Fine Art, said: “This latest collection from Johnny Depp is perhaps his most revealing and evocative. The four artworks are clearly deeply personal and showcase Johnny’s formidable skills as an artist.”
Notes to editors:
Sale opens Thursday 18 July, 2pm BST / 9am EDT exclusively from Castle Fine Art nationwide UK galleries, partner gallery Castle Contemporary 413 West Broadway, Soho, New York and worldwide, www.castlefineart.com
High-res images and BTS imagery are available via this Dropbox link
Images should be used in conjunction with the correct image credit:
© Johnny Depp, Tarot ‘The Lovers’, ‘The Emperor’, The Empress’ and ‘Strength’ 2024. Image courtesy of Castle Fine Art. Photographic credits of Johnny Depp: Pantheon Art.
Listen to Johnny Depp share the story behind the Tarot collection: https://youtu.be/sMaSRqazS1o
Direct link to purchase: https://www.castlefineart.com/uk/artists/johnny-depp/tarot
Edition Information:
Image size: 29” x 46”, Framed Size: 34″ x 50″. Edition size: 195.
Medium: Silkscreen and Archival Pigment on 640gsm Waterford paper, with hand deckled edges and 24ct gold leaf. ‘The Lovers’ is also embellished with red marbled leaf.
Each piece is individually hand signed by Johnny Depp.
Emboss stamped by hand with Johnny’s mark of authenticity, The Bunnyman.
Individual framed retail: £3,950/$4,500.
Set paper retail: £13,950/$14,500, Set framed retail: £14,950/$15,950.
The non-framed set is presented in a portfolio, handmade using the finest materials, hand-screened branding and logos to the front and reverse in gold archival pigment. The interior is covered in high-quality archival black paper with inserts to hold the artworks securely and help protect the paper’s deckled edges. The interleaf, which protects the face of the artwork inside the folio, is a 90gsm acid-free, PH-neutral semi-transparent paper.
Johnny Depp Artist Biography
For Johnny, art has been a constant outlet for his personal creativity. With his sketchbook as a permanent fixture in this hand, Depp is constantly sketching or visually conceptualising the world around him. His mind rejects the ordinary, challenges the accepted and oscillates between the pictural and the lyrical, giving rise to his own multi-layered expressionistic style.
About Castle Fine Art
As the UK’s leading group of retail art galleries, Castle Fine Art has been at the heart of the contemporary art movement for nearly 30 years. Specialising in original fine art, hand-signed limited editions and sculptures, we unite collectors with artworks from some of the most renowned figures in the art world.
Recent releases include work by Johnny Depp, Bob Dylan, Billy Connolly, Paul Kenton and John Myatt in addition to renowned British sculptor, Steve Winterburn. Castle Fine Art also works with artist of miniatures, Nic Joly and Scarlett Raven, whose textured landscape paintings have positioned her as one of the most exciting female artists in the UK today.
We offer an exceptional collection of art for all, discover more at our network of 38 galleries across the UK or worldwide at castlefineart.com. Find us on social media @castlegalleries.
Castle Contemporary is the partner gallery to Castle Fine Art. Located at 413 West Broadway, Soho, New York, Castle Contemporary opened in 2023 and brings a wide range of contemporary artists including work from exclusive artists Bob Dylan and James McQueen, as well as exclusive pieces from Johnny Depp.
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2463397/JD_Tarot.jpg
SOURCE Castle Fine Art