Johnny Depp earns £3m in just hours after selling debut art collection

Johnny Depp has sold out his debut art collection in a matter of hours, raking in more than £3m in sales.

On Thursday (28 July), Depp announced via Instagram that his collection of four portraits, titled Friends and Heroes, would be on sale through the Castle Fine Art website.

The portraits depict four artists that Depp “has known well, and who have inspired him as a person”, according to the gallery website. They are: Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, and screen actors Al Pacino and Elizabeth Taylor.

All 780 prints from the collection sold within hours of Depp’s post, with framed individual images going for £3,950 and the complete portfolio of four images selling for £14,950.

According to the Evening Standard, the website temporarily crashed due to the enormous volume of people accessing it at once.

Speaking about his work in the gallery brochure, Depp said: “I’ve always used art to express my feelings and to reflect on those who matter most to me, like my family, friends and people I admire. My paintings surround my life, but I kept them to myself and limited myself. No one should ever limit themselves.”

Meanwhile, the gallery described the star’s work as existing “at the intersection of pop art and street art” and as “pop art with feeling”.

The art sale comes weeks after Depp released a new album, 18, with his friend and collaborator Jeff Beck.

In a two-star review for The Independent, Mark Beaumont described the album as “facile Hollywood back-slappery”.

Depp has been busy since winning the US-based defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, touring the UK with Beck at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, and making a number of public appearances.

Heard has officially appealed the $10.35m (£8.5m) verdict made against her, while Depp moved to overturn the $2m (£1.6m) defamation award that she received.