Pigcasso

Pigcasso was born in April 2016 on an industrialised pig farm in the Winelands region of the Western Cape, South Africa. She was rescued in May 2016 by Joanne Lefson and taken to Farm Sanctuary SA in Franschhoek, the nonprofit organization that Lefson also founded that year. When Lefson noticed that the pig ate and destroyed everything in her stall besides some paint brushes, she employed positive reinforcement techniques to teach the pig to start using the brushes to apply paint to paper mounted on an easel placed before her. By dipping the brush in different colors, the pig began to create colorful abstract paintings, which Lefson then sold to raise funds for the farm sanctuary.

Each of Pigcasso’s works is signed by dipping her nose-tip into beetroot ink and touching it onto the canvas.

Pigcasso and Lefson are the first non-human/human collaboration to have held an art exhibition together, which took place at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town in 2018.[5][6] Pigcasso’s artworks are considered to be abstract expressionist as opposed to figurative, and have sold for millions of rands[7] to collectors around the world. Three of her most famous pieces are ‘Peacock’, ‘Snowman’, and ‘Mouse’, each of which sold for $5,000 in 2021. A painting of Prince Harry that was sold to a Spanish buyer for £2,350 in 2021 also received global notoriety, based on its royal subject matter.[8][9]

On 13 December 2021, Pigcasso sold an artwork for £20,000,[10][11] [12] a record price for an artwork created by an animal.[13] [14] The 1.6 m × 2.6 m (5.2 ft × 8.5 ft) canvas, titled Wild and Free, was purchased by German art collector Peter Esser, eclipsing the £14,000 previously paid for an animal artwork (a painting by Congo the chimpanzee bought by the American collector Howard Hong).[15] [16]

The partnership between Pigcasso and Lefson has been noted for igniting debate around the definition of art and animal creativity, while also drawing attention to the living conditions of farmed animals around the world.[17][18][19] Lefson has stated that her aim is to educate the public about the devastating effects of animal agriculture on the welfare of animals and the environment in order to inspire a kinder, more sustainable world.[20]

Pigcasso became the first non-human artist to endorse a commercial product when she was commissioned by watch maker Swatch to design their 2019 watch called ‘Flying Pig’.[21][22][23][24] She was also featured in the 60th anniversary advertisement of the Nissan Skyline (2017),[25][26] and in 2020, she launched her own Pigcasso wine range from the grapes that grow at the farm sanctuary where she lives.[27][28]

Over the course of her life, Pigcasso has been featured on various global media channels. For instance, her artistic exploits have been covered on Saturday Night Live,[29]  ABC,[30] NBC,[31] CBS,[32] CNN,[33] National Geographic,[34] Sky news,[35] and the BBC.[36]

She has also appeared live on the Jeremy Vine show (2020) and in leading publications such as include The Times newspaper[37] and Der Spiegel.

Lefson was a former pro-golfer and she was from 1996–1997 together with the American singer-songwriter John Denver, until he died in a plane crash in Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove in California on October 12 1997.

• Oscar (2004), dog adopted from a shelter by Joanne Lefson

• Pigcasso Official website
• Farm Sanctuary SA Official website
• Joanne Lefson Official website