Kevin Barrett 
Most people are fascinated by celebrities. In the United States, they are basically the closest thing we have to royalty.
We have politicians, too; however, as you may have noticed, the line between politician and celebrity is growing blurrier with each passing second.
I actually worked for a politician briefly, and I was also a newspaper reporter back in the day, so I am not at all ignorant on the subject when I state that most politicians are obsessed with attention; I think about two percent of them get into it for what most would consider the ‘right reasons’; the other 98 percent just like hearing themselves talk and then have people report on the things they talk about.
Going back to true celebrities, though, I myself am vaguely interested in them. I don’t really care to hear their opinion on anything of substance, but I will acknowledge that some of them are attractive and some of them are phenomenal actors.
Many of them are a lot deeper than you would think, though, and have hidden talents that must be acknowledged. Here are twenty examples of celebrities with secret art talent.
1. Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey is a talented artist; I like the art. I don’t particularly care for his movies, but I do like the art. Also, I like his hair longer—like it is in these pictures. He is looking good these days.
The only movie Jim Carrey was in that I really liked was “The Truman Show”, which came out 20 years ago. If you have not seen it yet, you absolutely need to check it out. Jim Carrey was absolutely brilliant in the role. It hasn’t aged particularly well considering the rise of the reality show, but the performances were wonderful.
The movie also starred Laura Linney, who was great on the final season of the sitcom “Frasier”. She has done a ton of other stuff, but I remember her best due to her role on “Frasier”.
I also kind of liked Carrey on the show “In Living Color”; it was funny at the time, but it has not aged well.
2. Ronnie Wood
Ronnie Wood is another celebrity who is best known for other things, but who is also a very talented artist. These are incredible.
Considering his prolific career as a musician, it is kind of hard to believe he had time to perfect his painting. I don’t think people are generally born with this level of talent. I took years of art classes when I was a kid, but they didn’t really pay off; I can barely draw a horse.
3. Bob Dylan
Apparently, being a great musician makes it more likely that you will be a great artist, because Bob Dylan seems to be one of the best.
If you have not heard of Bob Dylan, who is currently 77, you have probably been living on a remote island for the past 50 years. He was pretty much the voice of an entire generation, and he basically hasn’t stopped touring since the 1980s. He has won multiple Grammy Awards.
Actually, Dylan’s talent with a brush isn’t much of a secret. He has published several books of his artwork, and it has been exhibited in many art galleries.
4. David Bowie
Nature does not dole out talent fairly, it seems. English singer and actor David Bowie, like other extremely talented musicians on this list, was a talented and prolific artist. He also collected art—his collection was apparently worth over $10 million, which is pretty impressive. It think it is fair to say that art was a passion of his.
It is a shame that Bowie is no longer with us; he lost a battle to liver cancer in 2016, just two days after the release of his final album. He was musically active until the very end. He was 69 years old.
5. Lucy Liu
I like the painting well enough. It isn’t really anything I would hang on my wall, but I get the appeal, and it is far better than anything I could do.
She is one of those celebrities I hear about from time to time, but I never really knew until now why she is so incredibly famous. I never really watched “Ally McBeal”, and the only time I saw “Kill Bill” was on an airplane. I also did not watch “Southland”. She is apparently a voice actress—she was the voice of “Tinker Bell” in several films a few years back.
I do kind of want to check Lucy out in “Elementary”, which is about a modern version of “Sherlock Holmes”. It has been around since 2012, so I don’t know what I am waiting for really.
6. Frank Sinatra
The only reason I knew Frank Sinatra was an artist was because there was an episode of a classic television sitcom in which the main characters accidentally bought one of his paintings at an auction. They ended up messing the painting up, which is a shame because it would have been worth a lot of money had they not done so.
Coincidentally, the painting on the sitcom was of a clown—not too different than the one you can see here. They thought the clown painting was covering up a true masterpiece, but they were wrong.
Sinatra may be best known for his singing, but he was definitely a pretty talented painter. I really like the one with the dog; the poor animal looks almost as sad as the clown, though.
7. Steven Tyler
The artwork kind of scares me a little; it isn’t anything I’d want in my house, but I have to admire it nonetheless.
Actually, now that I think about it, I’d love some of Tyler’s original artwork, even if it is a little scary. I’m a big fan of Aerosmith, and I like that he was in “Wayne’s World 2”. It is weird that he appeared on “Lizzie McGuire”, which I never watched; however, based on what I know of that show, it seems like a kind of bizarre move for him. Then again, he did judge “American Idol” for a while there. He has certainly had an interesting career.
8. Macaulay Culkin
I don’t really know if I like this one or not; what is going on in the background there? The perspective also kind of throws me off a bit, but it is definitely interesting.
Culkin is still sort of active these days, it seems, but he’ll never be as famous as he was when he was starring in the two “Home Alone” movies back in the 1990s. It is kind of weird that the second one featured a cameo by the current US President. Then again, the President appeared in a lot of movies and on a lot of sitcoms back in the 1990s.
Recently, Culkin has been performing in a comedy rock band. He is in a film called “Changeland”, which was written by Seth Green, who you might know from “Family Guy” and about 1,000 other things. Green also directed and stars in the movie. It might be worth checking out when it is eventually released.
9. John Lennon
I don’t really know if these require talent; I could probably manage to do a little better, frankly, and I am no John Lennon! Don’t get me wrong—they are kind of cute. Still, I think most people could accomplish this.
I am not sure I could do better, but I am relatively sure these doodles are worth a lot of money. People are still obsessed with John Lennon all these years later, and I sort of understand why. I have only ever met a few people who dislike “The Beatles”, and I am pretty sure that they only pretend to do so in order to seem cool and “edgy”.
10. Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson may have had a happier life if he stuck to the art upon hitting adulthood; this is really good stuff, and he had a kind of unique style.
The one of the kid in the corner kind of breaks my heart. There’s no denying Jackson was kind of a weird person—to put it mildly—but that one really makes you think. I think it is pretty common knowledge that he did not have the happiest childhood; the drawing really makes it crystal clear how awful it was.
11. Marilyn Manson
Well, these are kind of weird and creepy, but what do you expect from Marilyn Manson?
While I wouldn’t hang these in my home, I can see why his art has been hung in many successful, well-known galleries. I love the use of color; the subject matter just is not for me. I am the sort of guy that buys art you might see in a hotel room.
These are done with watercolor paints; I know for a fact that those are not easy to work with, so good for him!
12. Anthony Hopkins
Well, Anthony Hopkins definitely likes his colors, doesn’t he?
Also, I just can’t get over the fact the guy who played Hannibal Lecter is wearing such a shirt. That just does not seem right to me.
Hopkins is currently on “Westworld”, which is a great show. It is kind of hard to explain if you have not seen it. There’s a western-themed park and androids—I know it sounds weird, but give it a shot. In May, it was renewed for a 3rd season. The critics love it.
The show has been airing since the fall of 2016. Other stars of the show include Thandie Newton and Ed Harris.
13. Tony Bennett
I would definitely buy this. I like this sort of art.
Tony Bennett clearly has a lot of artistic talent. He actually founded an art school named for Frank Sinatra in Queens, and he apparently paints or does sketches every day.
A lot of people like his artwork, apparently; originals can go for over $50,000.
I’ll admit that I also really like the kind of music Tony Bennett sings. It just makes you feel good, and that’s what I want from music. I want to be cheered up. A lot of people do. That’s probably why he has sold something like 70 albums. Now that is very impressive!
It is hard to believe Bennett is 92 now. I hope he is around for a lot longer; it will be a shame for the art and music communities when he passes.
14. Pierce Brosnan
I don’t know if I would hang those in my home, especially not that one on the bottom, but I would nonetheless like to own a piece of art painted by Pierce Brosnan. He was James Bond, after all; how could you turn down the opportunity to purchase original artwork painted by a guy who was cool enough to play James Bond?
I am sure I couldn’t afford his work, though. The Cuba one is sort of neat in a vaguely edgy sort of way, and Brosnan certainly looks like he is having a great time doing his thing.
15. Prince Charles
I am not a big fan of the guy, but I must say his watercolor artwork is very pleasing to the eye. He might want to forget about the whole “being king” thing and just focus on his painting.
In particular, I like the sky in the one on the bottom. That is just gorgeous.
He looks really happy when he is working on his art. It must be a tremendous release for him. I can’t imagine being a royal is a fun job. I wouldn’t mind giving it a try for a week, though.
Speaking of royalty, does anyone else remember the movie “King Ralph”? John Goodman played an American who became King of the UK. The critics complained about the plot and the jokes, but John Goodman is such a good actor that almost anything he is in is surprisingly watchable.
16. James Franco
You probably shouldn’t be surprised that James Franco is on this list. He has been accused of some bad things lately, true, but it is hard to deny he is a talented man. He pretty much does everything artistic well.
I still think it is hilarious that he played a character on the soap opera “General Hospital” years after he became super famous. The character he created is still on the show, by the way, although James Franco no longer portrays him.
17. George W. Bush
I am not going to comment on the Bush presidency; I have nothing of substance to offer. I took one class on international relations while at university. I read a lot these days, but I am still no expert, and I probably never will be.
I will, however, comment on his artwork even though I am not a trained artist or art critic.
It is better than average. I probably couldn’t do any better. I do like the one of the dog. Most paintings of dogs are pretty cool, though. I wish dogs did know how to play poker; I wish my dog knew how to play XBOX. There is this level in “Red Dead” I am having trouble completing.
Why would you paint legs in a tub? It is kind of cool, but it is also super weird. Are those supposed to be his legs? I don’t need to see that. Nobody needs to see that.
I feel bad that he recently lost his father, though, so I probably should not make fun. That final phone conversation must have been rough on the guy.
18. Sylvester Stallone
I am not a huge fan of abstract art, but I really like the one on the right there. I think it is because he uses a lot of color, but not too much color.
I guess I’m surprised Sly is a painter because of the movies he is in. For heaven’s sake—he is Rocky! Don’t get me wrong; I liked that movie. Sly just never struck me as the deepest guy in the world. You don’t watch “Rambo” and think to yourself: “Huh, I bet that guy has a lot of deep thoughts going on upstairs”.
Well, he proved me wrong.
19. Johnny Cash
I just don’t know what I am supposed to be looking at here. Is that a bird? It kind of looks like a bird. I think it is a bird perched on something that is looking up at the sky for some reason.
It is not the best piece of art I have ever seen, but I do like Johnny Cash. His art may be sort of ‘meh’, but no one can argue against the fact he was a very popular and successful musician.
20. Johnny Depp
Apparently our favorite movie star has a hidden talent as well. He has painted Marlon Brando , Patti Smith, Bob Dylan and Kerouac. In an interview for a magazine he states stat one of his favorite things in art is to paint people faces.
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