Joe Lycett has already shown himself to be something of a Picasso in the making, and now his artwork is being sold for an astronomical sum.
The 35-year-old comic routinely posts pictures of his paintings on social media, and he has done portraits of people like Liz Truss, King Charles, and even Gail Platt.
But now that his artwork of Gary Lineker is available for purchase, things have reached a whole new level. £1,354,999.
Oh, and you must leave a deposit of £406,499.70.
The painting has made the Royal Academy’s famed Summer Exhibition.
Titled I Drink A Crisp, Cold Beer In A Pool In Los Angeles While Gary Lineker Looks On In Disgust, the artwork is going on display at the prestigious London gallery next week.
This self-portrait shows Joe, as the title indicates, in the pool with a drink in his hand and sunglasses on, while sports commentator Gary, 62, is seated by the side and has a somewhat dissatisfied look on his face.
By coincidence, Gary’s salary, who has been the highest-paid BBC talent for six years straight, and the amount of Instagram followers Joe now has are both included in the painting’s £1.3 million price tag.
Therefore, the former football star won’t have to travel far to get some luxurious new house furnishings.
Joe said earlier this month on Instagram that he was “delighted” that his artwork had been chosen for the exhibition.
He referred to his well-known 2018 clay bust and stated, “It’s my first painting to make it and just the second time I’ve been featured (the other time was my notorious sculpture CHRIS).”
He said the exhibition is ‘one of [his] favourites’ as it’s ‘so full of inspiration and life’.
‘I can’t wait to see it and for some sour old arts journo to describe it as a “waste of paper and paint”,’ he joked.
Joe did, in fact, get to view his artwork in person, where he proudly stood next to it and pointed.
‘An honour! A privilege! A disgrace!’, he wrote on Insta.
His followers and famous pals were full of praise, with Nick Grimshaw commenting: ‘Love this Joe!’
‘This is a beauty Joe ! x x’, commented Noel Fielding.
Up to August 20, viewers can view the painting in its entirety in the gallery.
Gary hasn’t officially expressed his opinions yet, but we can’t wait to hear them.
Joe has gained notoriety for his marketing gimmicks, but it is unclear whether anyone will actually purchase his self-portrait.
The comedian has a history of going above and beyond to make his points. He even briefly went by the legal name Hugo Boss while alleging that a corporation was sending stop and desist letters to small businesses with the term “boss” in their titles.
Of course, he made national news the previous year with his World Cup prank, asking David Beckham to resign from his position as ambassador for Qatar in light of the host nation’s horrific human rights record.
For days, he was the topic of conversation on the internet when Joe threatened to lose £10,000 if the singer didn’t back down.
We all know how it turned out since Joe subsequently said he never expected a reply and that he had already given the money to LGBTQ+ organisations.
Source My Celebrity Life.
