Ozzy Osbourne auctions paintings he made with chimpanzees
Ozzy Osbourne has adopted a new approach to fundraising. The rock legend is selling five pieces of art that he painted with the help of some chimpanzees in order to raise money for the endangered ape species.
The Black Sabbath icon played his farewell gig in Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5th to a crowd that was at least 40,000 strong in the stadium, and millions more watched from their homes around the world. However, this may not be the most nerve-wracking thing he has done in recent memory as Osbourne also let chimps named Kramer, Sable, Sophie, and Janice collaborate on his recent artworks.
“I paint because it gives me peace of mind, but I don’t sell my paintings,” Osbourne said in a statement. “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.”
Osbourne has signed the paintings himself, meanwhile, the chimpanzee who worked on each canvas chose the colour scheme, and Ozzy painted the multicoloured basecoats on five canvases. The five images are titled ‘Technical Ecstasy’, ‘Electric Funeral’, ‘Blizzard of Ozz’, ‘Tattooed Dancer’, and ‘Paranoid’, relating to important milestones, songs or images in Osbourne’s long career.
Each piece starts at £1,000, and the auction is open until July 17th. Osbourne recently raised almost $200 million for vital charities close to their hearts in the wake of the ‘Back to the Beginning’ farewell show. The donations will go to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
The farewell show was a triumphant celebration of Osbourne’s impressive career. The affair closed with ‘Paranoid’. Before drawing the show to a close, Osbourne told those in attendance: “It’s the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Other acts who performed at Back to the Beginning include Blink-182’s Travis Barker, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Yungblud, Jack Black, Alice In Chains, Billy Corgan, Tool, Slayer, and many more. Every artist on the bill also waived their fee.
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