Where would we be without celebrities to generate a shock headline or two? Various overlaps with the art world have seen everyone from Kim Kardashian to Taylor Swift make Artnet News headlines this year. From presenting their very own artwork to the public, to controversial auctions and lawsuits, here are the A-listers who made their mark in this year’s arty headlines.
Kim Kardashian
The reality television star Kim Kardashian is facing a lawsuit after she falsely claimed that her tables were authentic works by the late minimalist artist Donald Judd. Photo courtesy of court documents
This one’s hot off the press, as last week it was seemingly confirmed that Kim K was indeed the anonymous buyer of a major Jean-Michel Basquiat canvas at Christie’s in 2017. The 1982 work Both Poles, which sold for $4.9 million as part of Christie’s Post War and Contemporary sale in London, appeared in an Instagram post from the Skims’ founder’s equally famous “momager,” Kris Jenner, when she attended a Wicked pre-screening party at her daughter’s home.
This kind of art news headline will have been a relief to Kardashian (who probably doesn’t care at all, actually) after her stint in the news in March, when it was announced that she was being sued by the foundation of late Minimalist Donald Judd. The Judd Foundation filed a lawsuit against the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star over the purchase of inauthentic furniture supposedly made by Judd.
Pierce Brosnan
L to R: Pierce Brosnan; Keely Shae Brosnan; Art Miami directors Pamela Cohen and Nick Korniloff at Art Miami opening night.
After making his debut as an artist last year at Art Miami, the sixth 007 actor has once again collaborated with OLEA. The collection management platform originally displayed Brosnan’s work in Miami. This time around, the actor-turned-artist is displaying pieces that have been enhanced with OLEA’s A.I.-powered curation tool “Oli”. A few more celebrities have turned their attention to the canvas this year for the first time, including British musicians Boy George and Robbie Williams.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp at the opening of “A Bunch of Stuff” in New York, 2024. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for A Bunch of Stuff.
Two years after his headline-dominating court case with ex-wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp seems to have spent his time immersing himself in the art world. This October, Depp’s biopic about the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani hit the news when it was screened at Rome Film Festival. Depp had been set to star as Modigliani when the project was first suggested to him by fellow actor Al Pacino in the 1990s, although nothing ultimately came from these earlier discussions.
The same month as the film’s debut, Depp’s own exhibition titled “A Bunch of Stuff” opened at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in New York. The show was a selection of work the star had created over the course of several years, including paintings, collages, and installations—many of which featured written slogans and musings.
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson in concert, 1986. Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.
It was a tricky year for collectors hoping to bag themselves some memorabilia from the King of Pop. October saw the hastily rescheduled court-ordered auction of more than 75 artworks attributed to Michael Jackson. It had been abruptly halted in August in Las Vegas at the very last minute after a party associated with the property’s owner declared bankruptcy.
Kings Auctions had to battle with questions and criticisms from every angle following the shock postponement, but two months later the sale (designed to pay off a $3.25 million debt) went ahead without a hitch. Earlier in the year, New Jersey’s Gotta Have Rock and Roll (GHRR) auction house had their own problems when it came to flogging MJ memorabilia. Jackson’s estate claimed that a bright red leather jacket, advertised as having been “owned and worn” by the musician during the production of his 1983 award-winning music video for “Thriller”, had in fact never been worn during the shoot. GHRR promptly changed the jacket’s description online.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Eras Tour at Allianz Parque in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2023. Photo: Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management.
It’s been a big year for Tay-Tay. Earlier this month it was announced that her 632-day Eras Tour, which ended in early December, had brought in a record-breaking $2 billion in ticket sales, and was attended by over 10 million people across its 149 shows in 21 different countries.
Obsession with Taylor Swift wasn’t confined to stadiums this year, though, as the Love Story singer became the focus of an exhibition at London’s V&A Museum. “Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail” was a free display of archival objects including instruments and outfits associated with the singer over the past two decades of her stratospheric career. The V&A even hired a Taylor Swift superfan advisor to help shape the exhibition.