- Title: Painting sow Pigcasso hogs the limelight as one of the year's top art stories.
- Date: 27th December 2019
- Summary: FRANSCHHOEK, SOUTH AFRICA (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PIGCASSO PAINTING ON A CANVAS EXTERIOR OF BARN PIGCASSO PAINTING/ FOUNDER, FARM SANCTUARY SA, JOANNE LEFSON, INSIDE THE BARN VARIOUS OF PIGCASSO PAINTING VARIOUS OF PIGCASSO EATING LEFSON GIVING PIGCASSO A PIECE OF AN APPLE TO EAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOUNDER, FARM SANCTUARY SA, JOANNE LEFSON, SAYING: "Well, pigs are very smart animals and so when I brought Pigcasso here to the barn, I thought how do I keep her entertained? And so we threw in some soccer balls, rugby balls, and of course there were some paintbrushes lying around because the barn was newly built, and it was interesting. She basically ate or destroyed everything except these paintbrushes and I thought gosh maybe there's something in there, because it was really strange that she loved them so much and it just took a bit of positive reinforcement and to be honest it wasn't long before she was picking them up, going towards a canvas and creating these amazing masterpieces that are now sold all over the world."
- Embargoed: 10th January 2020 12:00
- Keywords: Art Pigcasso Swatch Group pig making paintings
- Location: FRANSCHHOEK, JOHANNESBURG AND CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
- City: FRANSCHHOEK, JOHANNESBURG AND CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA001BBR4LEF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Step aside Francis Bacon.
Brandishing a paintbrush in her snout, Pigcasso enthusiastically tosses her head to create bright, bold strokes across a canvas propped up in her sty.
The sow was rescued from an abattoir as a piglet and brought to an animal sanctuary in Franschhoek, in South Africa's Western Cape region in 2016, where her new owner noticed her love of colour and paint brushes.
"Well, pigs are very smart animals and so when I brought Pigcasso here to the barn, I thought how do I keep her entertained? And so we threw in some soccer balls, rugby balls, and of course there were some paintbrushes lying around because the barn was newly built, and it was interesting. She basically ate or destroyed everything except these paintbrushes and I thought gosh maybe there's something in there, because it was really strange that she loved them so much and it just took a bit of positive reinforcement and to be honest it wasn't long before she was picking them up, going towards a canvas and creating these amazing masterpieces that are now sold all over the world." said Lefson.
Except for the occasional burst of creativity, Pigcasso spends most of her days eating, strolling, and sleeping.
The pig has earned the right to rest. Her paintings can sell for almost US$4,000, with the proceeds going to animal welfare. She has even had one of her artworks turned into a watch face for Swiss watchmaker Swatch.
Swatch announced a collaboration with the pig last month.
The limited edition 'Flying Pig by Ms. Pigcasso' features green blue and pink brush strokes and sells for US$120.
Swatch executives say it's the best-selling item in their artists' range.
South African marketing consultant, Sibu Mabena, says the deal was a branding coup.
"The fact that an animal that we see as a means to an end - a pig, bacon, sausages, all of that, has now become this phenomenon in a whole different space is really cool because that means there is an appetite for that kind of thing, there is a desire to see different things and people are taking an interest in all of this, so it's working. I mean if an international watch brand like Swatch can align themselves to something as different as this, it means they also looking for something innovative, for something different to what they've been doing and what they've been seeing, so it works," Mabena said.
Pigcasso's art was taken on tour last year in the 'Oink' exhibition. Her pieces were shown in South Africa, the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
"Pigcasso is definitely an abstract expressionist, you can't exactly define what she's painting, but I can tell you that her style slightly changes depending on her mood like any great artist. Sometimes I look at her artworks and I'll see something that as a human I can see a dolphin shape or there'll be a facial feature which makes it that much more interesting. But ultimately it's definitely abstract art work and every time she paints a picture she always finishes it by dipping her nose into beetroot ink, and she takes it towards her canvas and that makes it an authentic original Pigcasso," Lefson said. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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