Pierce Brosnan reveals he once sold a portrait of his ‘great hero’ Bob Dylan for a whopping £1.1 million and would ‘give up the acting game’ for painting
Pierce Brosnan has revealed that he once sold a portrait he painted of Bob Dylan for a whopping £1.1 million.
The former James Bond actor, 67, has spoken about his passion for art in a new interview and shared plans to have an exhibition in Santa Monica, California, in October.
Pierce revealed that his wife, Keely, 56, had a documentary aired at Cannes Film Festival, and when organisers discovered Pierce was a painter, they asked him to auction an artwork for amFAR – a charity supporting AIDS research.
Charitable donation: Pierce Brosnan has revealed that he once sold a portrait he painted of Bob Dylan for a whopping £1.1 million (pictured in 2019)
In an interview with Parade magazine, Pierce said: ‘I’d done a painting of Bob Dylan, who is a great hero of mine.
‘It sold for $1.4million (£1.1million) and Keely and I just danced into the night. If it could be like that all the time, I definitely would give up the acting game.’
Pierce took up painting in 1987 when his late wife, Cassandra Harris, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Their daughter Charlotte died of the same disease in 2013 at the age of 41.
Artistic: The former James Bond actor, 67, has spoken about his passion for art in a new interview and shared plans to have an exhibition in Santa Monica, California, in October (Brosnan is pictured with the portrait in 2018)
When accepting the £1.1million bid at the AIDS auction in 2018, he told the audience: ‘I started painting in 1987 when my late wife had cancer.
‘I had been painting out of pain and now the pain sometimes comes through in colour.’
The star said he wouldn’t give up his day job as an actor but was ‘proud and humbled’ to be surrounded by ‘such great artists’ at the evening event.
He also praised his second wife Keely for ‘directing’ his life for 25 years. The couple have two children – Dylan, 23, and Paris, 19.
Pierce added that his art has become more meaningful and significant over the last few years.
Along with Dylan and Paris, Pierce is also father to son Sean, 36, by Cassandra.
He is also the adoptive father of Charlotte and Christopher Brosnan, Cassandra’s two children by her first husband Dermot Harris, whose brother was Richard Harris of Harry Potter fame.
He has often been vocal about how Keely saved him from depression following his personal tragedies, describing her as a strength ‘I wouldn’t be able to live without.’
Pierce is now a proud grandfather of three – Charlotte’s children Isabella, 21, and Lucas, 14, as well as Sean’s daughter Marley May, four.
Sweet: Pierce and Keely shared heartfelt tributes to one another as they celebrated their 26th anniversary on April 10 (pictured in January 2020)