Brit rocker Ozzy Osbourne has announced a retirement project that involves painting and Chimpanzees.
The 76-year-old, who recently performed his last concert with Black Sabbath, is channeling his effort through Save the Chimps, an American non-profit in Florida.
Osbourne, who has been plagued by an array of maladies, including a form of Parkinson’s, has indicated that creating the visual art gives him “peace of mind.”
Highlights
- Ozzy Osbourne collaborated with chimpanzees on five paintings named after his songs and albums.
- The artworks are being auctioned to support Save the Chimps, with bids topping $2,600 each.
- Osbourne says painting brings him “peace of mind.”
Bids for Ozzy Osbourne and the Chimpanzees’ art have passed $2,600 each
Image credits: Graham Bensinger
He has since produced five canvases with colorful base coats, which were passed by chimpanzees for their contributions at some point during their making.
The pieces, named after his songs and albums, are Technical Ecstasy, Electric Funeral, Blizzard of Ozz, Tattooed Dancer, and Paranoid.
The United Kingdom’s BBC News has since reported that the abstract pieces are being auctioned by Omega Auctions, a rare collectibles specialist in Northwest England.
Image credits: ozzyosbourne
At the time of writing on June 11, bids surpassed $2,600 apiece and are available for viewing by appointment until the 17th, when the auction ends.
Osbourne credits his wife for the inspiration
Osbourne has since weighed in on the motivation behind the project, saying:
“I paint because it gives me peace of mind, but I don't sell my paintings.
Image credits: ozzyosbourne
“I’ve made an exception with these collaborations as it raises money for Save the Chimps, a sanctuary for hundreds of apes rescued from labs, roadside zoos and wildlife traffickers.”
His wife Sharon, whom he also credits for his inspiration, also commented that the funds from the paintings and awareness of chimpanzees’ plight are “much needed.”
A chimpanzee from Save the Chimps won $10,000 prize for his artwork
Image credits: ozzyosbourne
It is not the first time Chimpanzees have been associated with visual art.
A blog posted by the nonprofit Humane World for Animals in 2013 brought to light a colorful piece painted by a 37-year-old chimpanzee at the Louisiana-based Chimp Haven.
His artwork, which, from its appearance, could easily have been created with a palette knife, won him first place, and his home organization received a $10,000 grant.
Image credits: SaveTheChimps
The chimp haven was one of six participating organizations operating under the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance.
Cheetah, a chimpanzee estimated to be in his 60s, also competed.
At the time, he lived at Osbourne’s current beneficiary, Save the Chimps, where he discovered his passion for painting after being rescued from a lab.
Image credits: SaveTheChimps
This furry artist used a unique tool to create: his mouth.
But like with Osbourne, it is about more than just art
Cheetah attracted the spotlight again five years later when the online animal advocacy group, The Dodo, reported that “he likes to get messy when he’s working on a new masterpiece.”
But according to his minders, it was about more than just rubbing paint on his lips and arms, or even art for that matter.
Cheetah, before being moved to Save the Chimps, had endured 13 years in solitary confinement and more than 400 biopsies for the sake of hepatitis research.
Image credits: Caters Clips (Not the actual photo)
For Cheetah—as with Ozzy Osbourne—painting is therapy.
Thus far, fish, birds, and cats are known to appreciate art
Appreciation for art extends beyond humanity’s closest relative.
Psychologists at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, found that pigeons could see the differences between Claude Monet’s and Pablo Picasso’s works.
“They discriminated against novel paintings by Monet and Picasso that had never been presented during the discrimination training.
“Furthermore,” the paper published by the National Library of Medicine in 1995 noted, “they showed generalization from Monet’s to Cezanne’s and Renoir’s paintings or from Picasso’s to Braque's and Matisse's paintings.”
Image credits: Edwin Butter/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
A study on Animal Learning and Behavior, six years later, found that koi fish were capable of telling the difference between blues and classical music.
In 2015, psychologist Charles Snowdon teamed up with cellist David Teie to make music for cats, which the latter now sells online.
Social media sees Osbourne as a legend
