Johnny Depp sells hand-made celebrity portraits for thousands of dollars

Hollywood actor Johnny Depp is selling portraits he has made of public figures including Heath Ledger, Bob Marley and Hunter Thompson through a London gallery for thousands of dollars.

The four-piece ‘Friends & Heroes II’ collection, which comes signed by Depp, was available for £17,500 ($21,000) from Castle Fine Art. The portraits were also offered independently for $5,400 each. However all 780 prints have now sold out.

Speaking about his love for art Depp said: “I’ve always used art to express my feelings and to reflect on those who matter most to me, like my family, friends and people I admire. My paintings surround my life, but I kept them to myself and limited myself. No one should ever limit themselves.”

“Johnny’s debut collection of limited edition artwork sees him focus on Friends & Heroes; 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,” reads the description the website.

“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.”

“Johnny's art exists at the intersection of 'Pop Art' and 'Street Art'. Recognisable images of people in popular culture are recast in vibrant, bright colours and overlayed with the energy and wit of Street Art. The result is a series of iconic images of media figures that have moved beyond the impersonal graphic simplicity of Pop Art. It's Pop Art with feeling.”