Robbie Williams has turned from pop sensation to painter as he is set to present his first ever art exhibition and will sell one of his own creations for £20,000.
The singer, 48, has made a dramatic career change as he will showcase his creative side by presenting black and white paintings he created with interior designer Ed Godrich at Sotheby’s New Bond Street galleries next month.
Robbie is set to rake in the cash as he will try to get up to £20,000 for his co-creation, after he went on a selling spree and said farewell to two Banksy works from his art collection and reportedly closed deals on his LA mansion and Wiltshire home.
New venture: Robbie Williams has turned from pop sensation to painter as he is set to present his first ever art exhibition and will sell one of his own creations for £20,000
He will show off 14 of his stunning art creations at the upcoming exhibition, which will be open to the public, while Robbie and Ed will auction off their painting Beverly, marking the first time they have sold one of their co-creations.
Speaking of his artwork, Robbie said: ‘Art is really whatever you want it to be. Just like music it has the ability to soothe and provide company when you’re lonely.
Gallery: The pair will auction off their painting Beverly, which is expected to fetch up to £20,000. Pictured: One of Robbie and Ed’s works
‘Art and music have punctuated my ups and downs, but more importantly they both have the power to change how I feel in a moment.’
Robbie and Ed, who founded architecture studios Godrich Interiors together, said of their exhibition: ‘We are proud of what we have created and it is time to share what has been coming out of our brains for the last few years.
‘An exhibition gives the work a chance to breathe outside of the studio.’
As well as selling one of his own pieces, Robbie is also serving as guest curator for Sotheby’s contemporary curated sale, where he selected works from his favourite artists to be included – including the likes of Basquiat and Damien Hirst.
Robbie and Ed have selected an untitled work by Basquiat, Christo’s Over The River, Banksy’s spray-painted Rat with Sunglasses, and Damien Hirst’s 2-Hydroxpyridine, Henry Hudson’s Freedom of Speech and a glazed ceramic by Grayson Perry to be included in the selection to be auctioned.
Speaking about their own work, Robbie and Ed said they go into a ‘meditative’ trance-like state’ when they create their art and often listen to Annie Mac’s DJ sets as they paint.
The contemporary curated sale will take place at the London galleries first from April 22 until April 28, followed by the exhibition from May 13 until May 25.
Art: The singer, 48, has made a dramatic career change as he is set to showcase his creative side by presenting black and white paintings he created with interior designer Ed Godrich
Paintings: He will show off 14 of his stunning art creations at the upcoming exhibition, which will be open to the public
Robbie’s latest venture comes after Sotheby’s sold two works by Banksy for a total of £7.7million from his personal art collection.
He had put up three pieces – Girl With Balloon, Kissing Coppers and Vandalised Oils (Choppers) – for sale in the first edition of Sotheby’s The Now Evening Auction in London on March 2.
In the first ever sales from his own art collection, Vandalised Oils went for just less than £4.4million and Girl With Balloon fetched £2.8million.
Former Take That singer Robbie has also recently sold smaller artworks to help promote his brand gallery, which also serves as a nightclub.
Admirer: As well as selling one of his own pieces, Robbie is also serving as guest curator for Sotheby’s contemporary curated sale, where he nominated a ceramic by Grayson Perry
Street art: Robbie and Ed have also selected an untitled work by Basquiat and Banksy’s spray-painted Rat with Sunglasses to be included in the curation
Collection: Christo’s Over The River will also feature in the much-anticipated Sotheby’s collection, made up of 94 lots
Robbie has been a longtime fan of art and wrote in a 2011 blog post on his website that he was inspired by Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock.
Who is Robbie’s creative partner Ed Godrich?
Ed Godrich is an experienced interior designer, having worked for more than 25 years in the industry.
He is best known for setting up Godrich Interiors in 2003 with Rupert Hunt and he still serves as creative director.
The company has completed hundreds of high-end projects all around the world, including many family homes, according to the firm’s website.
Godrich Interiors has worked on homes in Hampshire, London, Venice Palazzo in Italy, and Ibiza Villa in Spain.
The father-of-four took his passion for art further during the Covid-19 pandemic as he was said to have created around 40 massive works.
Robbie, who is married to model Ayda Field, has been on a selling spree in recent months after selling his homes based in both Wiltshire and Los Angeles.
In a recent interview, Robbie confessed he and his family were living ‘nowhere’ at after selling his LA home to rapper Drake in a deal thought to be worth at least £26million ($35million).
Speaking to Australian radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, Robbie said: ‘We’re actually nowhere.’
‘We haven’t got an abode right now, we’ve pretty much sold everywhere, we don’t live anywhere and we’re trying to figure it out.’
Robbie and his wife Ayda Field, 42, share their home with their four children, Teddy, nine, Charlie, ten, Coco, three, and two-year-old Beau.
Robbie admitted he and his family are searching for somewhere new to put down roots after recently selling almost all of his properties – including his ten-bedroom, twenty-two bathroom LA mansion.
The sale came just two months after Robbie found a buyer for his Wiltshire home in a deal worth £6.75million, leading the family to review their options.
But the singer is thought to still own homes that total an eye-watering £44million including a lavish villa in Zurich that he purchased with wife Ayda last year to relocate during the Covid pandemic.
Selling: Robbie’s (pictured with Ed) latest sale ventures come after Sotheby’s sold two works by Banksy for a total of £7.7million from his personal art collection
Homes: Robbie has been on a selling spree in recent months and revealed he had nowhere to live after selling his homes based in both Wiltshire and Los Angeles
Back in September, Robbie revealed he was living in Switzerland amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It was reported Robbie cut a deal with businessman Nicolas Brunschwig over the 356 square-meter Swiss villa during a game of golf, and splashed out a reported £24million on the property.
During an interview with Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2, the musician insisted he’s opted to temporarily reside ‘up a mountain’ in a bid to avoid contracting Covid-19 as he’s ‘a bit neurotic’.
The singer also owns a £17.5million London home that has been the source of an ongoing row with his next door neighbor, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, over renovation plans.
But the singer appears to have made strides towards relocating with his family as earlier this month, it was reported Robbie has his sights set on Holmby Hills, where the stunning Faring Estate – which comes with a tennis court, koi pond, and a gated garage which can house more than 15 cars – is located.
Records show the seller who snagged the mansion, which has been on and off the market for more than ten years, is understood to be tied to the wife of late syndication powerhouse Richard King, Lauren, The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to estate agent Hilton & Hyland, residing in the sprawling super-property will allow residents to ‘entertain with ease and become a part of true LA history that cannot be replicated’.
Empire: Robbie revealed he has nowhere to live after selling many of his homes, but the singer still owns a £17.5 million London home (pictured)
The estate, with eight bedrooms, features a two-story entry adorned with a spiral staircase, and is furnished with a seemingly endless amount of luxurious amenities including a wine cellar, butler’s pantry, saltwater pool, vegetable and rose gardens, sauna and pool house.
Robbie has been spending a lot of time in Australia as he films his Better Man biopic in Melbourne.
It was revealed that the singer has been casting young Australian stars to play Take That in the biopic – as he will star as himself in the production.
The biopic will focus on Robbie’s life and career as a singer and is being directed and co-written by Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey.
Family: Robbie and his wife Ayda (both pictured in July 2019), 42, share four children – Teddy, nine, Charlie, seven, Coco, three, and two-year-old Beau
This content was originally published here.