- Who
- Pigcasso, Wild and Free
- What
- 20,276 UK pound(s) sterling
- Where
- South Africa ()
- When
The most expensive painting by an animal is 'Wild and Free', a painting by Pigcasso (South Africa), which sold for R430,000.00 ZAR (£20,276 / $26,898 / €23,764), on 13 December 2021.
Pigcasso was born in 2016 on a South African pig farm. That same year she was rescued by Joanne Lefson (South Africa) and taken to a non-profit organisation, where Lefson noticed how the pig would destroy and eat everything in her stall besides some paint brushes. Using positive reinforcement techniques, Lefson decided to teach the pig to use brushes to apply paint to a canvas, and so began an unexpected art career! To date, Pigcasso has created over 400 artworks.
By 2018, Pigcasso held her own exhibition - believed to be the first non-human/human collaboration - at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town in 2018.
The record-breaking artwork measures 1.6 x 2.6 metres (5.2 x 8.5 ft) and uses colours inspired by the ocean views from the Western Cape. The sale surpasses the previously highest reported fee paid for an animal-painted artwork, which was £14,400 for a painting by a chimp called Congo in 2005.
Lefson hopes that Pigcasso's work will educate the public about animal welfare and the negative impacts of animal agriculture.
Pigcasso signs all of her artworks by dipping her nose into beetroot ink and touching it onto the canvas.
